Public Record (Essay)

Stupidity salted the minds of nearly every adult I grew up around. Jesus was most important. The acronym for “joy” represented “Jesus first, yourself last, and others in between.” Life involved puppet shows, flannel-graph stories, and vacation bible school.

It didn’t matter so much that a member of our congregation named Lonnie attacked his wife’s boyfriend, who then stabbed him until he fell in a heap onto the handlebars of his daughter’s tricycle.

Human troubles were no concern for the godly. Lonnie ended up living in paradise because his last words had been to request forgiveness for his sins. Sins that for the public record had placed him in jail and child custody into the hands of his wife.

What mattered was the redemption of his wife who was fornicating with the man who knifed her husband. Her mental health notwithstanding, she needed also to ask God to forgive her, repent of her wickedness, and all would be made whole in a jiffy.

There is great assuredness that comes in putting everyone else first and yourself last. Excuses become your muse and you never have to face your own spirit.