Failure!

You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I say to you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Fater who is in heaven; for He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax gatherers do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

I was camping over Labor Day Weekend at a local lake. It's a campground with basic amenities - drinkable water in faucets, restrooms with toilet paper and seats. For a few years, we were able to sneak up to the site on busy three day weekends and still get a site. Last Memorial Day, we had to reserve a site for the first time, as we did this Labor Day. This increasing business may push us farther into the backcountry next year, but we shall see.

Often when camping, you meet some of the nicest people in the world. The farther you get from civilization, the nicer they get. Backpacking is a way to meet just about the nicest people in existence. Perhaps it is this overly-idyllic outlook that left me so shocked when the people at the site across from us turned out to be just about the rudest campers I have ever seen up close. They were amicable enough during the day, but come 9 or 10 at night, the men would get some booze in them and turn into yelling, howling, barking morons. At 11:30pm on the final night, after hearing several other campers shout at them to be quiet (you shouldn't be able to hear people in another campsite after 10pm) and having them respond with less than kind language, we called the sheriff. They never showed up - likely they had much more important things to do - but we amused ourselves talking about what incredibly horrible people those campers were.

I participated fully in this. But not without internal reservation. Couldn't there be a better way to respond than insulting them behind their backs? Is there a way I could share with them the fact that they are more precious than anything to the God of the Universe, so much so that he would leave 99 people that 'do not need to be saved' to reach them? To share the love of the God of the Universe with them.

All I know is that in my actions, I chose to "love my neighbor and hate my enemy." I chose to like those that acted in ways I approved of, while looking down on those who behaved poorly. I failed. I said nothing when it was burning in my heart to do so.

Thankfully, I can find forgiveness. But the solace I find from my shame I did not offer to those who desperately need it.