The Neighbor's Chorus

This morning my dogs decided that they reeeeeeally needed to go potty at 4:00 in the morning. Or chase a rabbit, I don't know. Either way I was still laying there, wide awake, at 5:00 so I decided to get up and be productive. I didn't want to wake everybody else up, so I headed to the barn. Sometimes it's nice to have somewhere to go where I don't have to worry about everyone else.

As I was cleaning stalls, a song popped into my head as often happens, having been a one-time music person. This particular song was one that we did in the Charlotte Chorale. It's a song by Jaques Offenbach called "The Neighbor's Chorus". It's a very interesting piece and a lot of fun to sing. It's very fast, upbeat and expressive, just a lot of fun. What makes it interesting is the subject that the singers are so chipper about.

Apparently the singers are a group of neighbors and they have spied someone who looks depressed. They sing "we don't mean to bother...why do you look so low?" and then go on to cheerfully speculate what has caused the blues. They assume it's a "lost lady love" and begin with "did she treat you badly? Did she break a date?" and quickly move onto what He could have done to her. The music gets more glorious as the accusations become more serious and there's a final glowing "aaaahhhhh" after they have accused him of beating her!

How in the World is this fun!?! Why was the music written this way?
Offenbach picked up on something that the tabloids know all too well. We (people) Love the pain and failure of others. It makes us feel better about our own troubles and failures, mostly the failures.

This instinct, this Need to compare ourselves is innate in all of us. Why? Why would God have made that in us? I don't think His desire was for us to go around pointing out the faults of others so we can validate ourselves. In fact, Jesus tells us the exact opposite: In Matthew 7:3-5 He tells us to deal with the plank in our own eye (life) before we start pointing out anyone else's speck. Notice that ours is a plank and theirs is a speck.

I think that we have this desire to compare is because we are supposed to compare ourselves to God and to His standard of perfection. If we do that, several things happen:
1. We will see just how undeserving we are of heaven and of his love.
2. We will begin to understand just how big of a thing it is that He has given us his love, despite how unworthy we are (and appreciate it more).
3. When we realize #1 and #2, we should be more willing to show love and grace to people that we feel are undeserving of our love.
If we are honest with ourselves about how many faults and sins he is looking past to love us, shouldn't we be willing to overlook the faults of others and share that love with them?

It doesn't matter what the faults or sins or opinions are. You don't have to agree with them to love them. God certainly has not been happy about everything I've done and said and thought in my life. But He has chosen to love me anyway and Because He First Loved Me, I Will Love Others.

Now, for your entertainment, The Neighbor's Chorus