“Rejoice not at thine enemy’s fall, but don’t rush to pick him up, either.” (Jewish Proverb) Yiddish sayings often have a sharp edge This quote leaves me conflicted. The words of Jesus say that we’re supposed to love our enemies…even pray for them? I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time following through with that….(Jesus, why do you make it so hard to be your disciple?...like trying to push a camel thru the eye of a needle…and that’s really hard!) . ;-) Jack
FROM LBP: Yeah, that’s a tricky one. I wonder if the intention is a jab of spite without being outwardly rude? Or, maybe it’s more about letting the enemy feel the natural consequence of a situation before jumping in, lest there is no learning. There is the parent in me. The word “fall” captures such a broad range of scenarios though- from the fall of empires to someone literally tripping and falling. ===JACK: It's like having your cake and eating it, too.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Perfect words today. I was started of praying for a person who personally caused so much damage to our immediate family and caused a rift in the whole family. As I prayed I became more and more angry. Now how foolish it that?? I had to stop praying for them and start praying for me to forgive them...something I thought I had already accomplished. Wow! A real eye opener. I let you know how it goes when I try again. Prayer is powerful! Those wise old Yiddish were the truth!===JACK: ...like trying to push that camel thru the needle's eye!
FROM GUSTIE MARLYS: Love that. Sounds like something Teve’ would say.===JACK: I'm glad to have a lot of friends who are Jewish. They help me to see things in other ways.
FROM FACEBOOK LIZ: the saints pray for revenge on their martyrs i heard on relevant radio as i was driving and flipping thru stations. and god delivers, telling them he will take care of them... ===JACK: That's right. Ultimately (in the end) "the wrong shall fail, the right prevail with peace on earth goodwill to all."
FROM DR J: I love this one… in my yoga class, my instructor is very spiritual… sometimes she reminds us to breath in hope, and breath out peace…I think about this a lot when I try to calm myself with my breath.===JACK: I think we'd be better off by concentrating more on the spiritual than on religious details.
FROM HUNGRY HOWIE: There is also a proverb that says do not have extra martial affairs, but if you do go to the next town, wear black and keep your head down I think it’s about always being involved with managing you’re behavior no matter what. ===JACK: Managing your behavior..."Ah, there's the rub," writes Shakespeare.
FROM WALMART REV: Romans 7:21-25 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power[a] within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. 0;-/===JACK: I thank Martin Luther for reminding me of the gift of grace that has been offered to me...and you.
FROM HONEST JOHN: The USA after WWII is an example of where this quote is shown to be poor advice. We helped both Germany and Japan rebuild...turned out to be a wise move. ===JACK: A good example of how "religious" grace can be practiced in the "secular" world.
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