Listen:
Love does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. (1 Corinthians 13:6)
Reflect:
There is a word from the German called schadenfreude. It combines Schaden which means harm or damage, with Freude which means joy. So literally it means the pleasure or joy we feel when someone experiences failure or misfortune. We have all experienced schadenfreude.
It wasn’t until a recent podcast (Being Human by Steve Cuss – highly recommend) that I realized how much I do this. I follow news reports that detail how a pastor, politician or celebrity fell from grace in some spectacular way. But if I look underneath my schadenfreude it’s due to pride. Pride that I would never do what so and so did! But we all know what Proverbs 16:18 says: Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. I basically want to feel good about myself at the expense of someone else who is feeling very low.
Paul tells us that’s not how love works. Yes, love requires us to have hard conversations even when we don’t feel like it. Yes, love requires us to take responsibility for our actions without excuses. And yes, love prompts us to celebrate others’ integrity even when it comes with a personal cost to us.
In a culture that profits from scandal and outrage, we are called to respond differently. Jesus’ invitation to us the next time someone falls from grace is not schadenfreude, but humility. Apart from God’s grace, none of us stands on higher ground than anyone else.
When someone experiences a failure and we choose compassion and humility, we reflect the heart of Christ, who came not to condemn the fallen but to redeem them.
Prayer of Response:
Gracious God, lead me in the path of your love and truth, and help me to correct my course when I wander off your path. Amen.
Questions to Ponder:
- When was the last time I experienced schadenfreude?
- What is my invitation from Jesus?
Breath Prayers:
Join us in praying breath prayers each day. We invite you to write your own as well.
Inhale (Breathe in): Lord, I rejoice in your love
Exhale (Breathe out): Lord, I rejoice in your truth
(Repeat)
—Submitted by: Libby Rutherford
Libby is a longtime member of Lifesprings and is a member of the Executive Team. She’s married to Jay, mom to John and Sarah, grandmother to Malcolm, and has two cats and really overdid it with the chicks this year. She has pastored two rural churches for over 9 years and lives in Apple River, IL.