If you’ve been near any kind of media you heard about the Kanye West–Taylor Swift incident.
In case you still wondering, here’s the video.
Since then there’s been a HUGE backlash from the media, other artists, fans…and just about everybody…who all agree: what Kanye did was stupid!!
I, for one, agree.
Even though West has apologized twice (the second sounding more sincere than the first) people have yet to forgive him. The Huffington Post wrote a comedy about the incident, entitled: “Kanye West Interrupts Obama Speech to Investment Bankers.” The Guardian recently published a resume of West’s outbursts. And so on.
And I agree he has come off as a pre-Madonna. So I understand the reluctance to just “let him off the hook.”
But at the risk of going against the majority I’m gonna say it: we should forgive him.
You heard me, “We should forgive him.”
“But did you see what he did?”
“Look at how he disrespected her!”
“He’s so cocky…he gets on my nerves!”
Yes. He did. He shouldn’t have. He is. But we need to forgive him. Truth of the matter is, I’ve done some STUPID things in my own life. Things that hurt people and hurt me in the process. And there’s not one person out there who’s done everything right. Could you imagine if they could Google all the idiotic things you’ve done?
We need to forgive him. Not because he’s right…but because it’s right. If you’re a follower of Christ, you know how He’s forgiven you for all the stupid, idiotic, rotten, immoral things you said, done, and thought. So why wouldn’t you be quick to give someone the forgiveness they’re asking for?
Something for us to think about.
“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults – unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.” [1]
- Matthew 7:1-5 (The Message)
