My Personal Base Line

As Tuesday, November 3, 2020, the day and date of the United States presidential election, inexorably approaches, as a I consider the curricula vitae and records of performance of the number of candidates, I, assured in exercising my political franchise and voting, will become and be a member of someone’s base of support.

As I consider this, I now contemplate and will continue to contemplate two scripture texts.

The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to (Jesus), “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”…(Jesus answered) “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8.3-5, 7b, my emphasis)

Jesus said, “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye” (Matthew 7.1-5, my emphases)

Yep, the very next time I’m tempted (and I will be tempted!) to point my judging finger at someone else, I, striving, praying to hold Jesus’ counsel in my heart, will follow my heart with my hands, stuffing them back into my pockets.