Ray Richardson

As I was doing the dishes this afternoon, I had the opportunity to contemplate a number of ideas. Doing the dishes is a good time to think about things. While the act of doing the dishes does not require a lot of thought, it gives you a chance to ponder life's issues while still accomplishing a necessary task.

It's Christmastime and I have been thinking a lot lately about God, my relationship with him and his relationship with all of us. It is a complicated discussion that goes through my mind. I often wonder what God really thinks about how we all approach him and our belief that the beliefs we hold are the right ones. As Josh Shea, the editor of the Windham Independent, said to me in a recent phone call, "It's the difference between religion and spirituality." I think he is right.

It seems we spend so much of our time pointing out the sinful nature of man that we forget that God wants us to prosper and be happy. I believe in a God who loves us unconditionally, who is troubled when we act against his wishes (sin), but forgives and forgets as soon as we ask. I believe in a God who wants us to prosper, be happy and enjoy the wonderful things this earthly life has to offer. I do not believe that God seeks to oppress us or condemn us; unfortunately condemnation seems to be a good portion of the actions of so many so-called Christian organizations.

Clearly, God has set standards for our behavior. He commands us to follow those principles, but he also forgives us when we fail to do so. I often wonder if we humans forget about the forgiving nature of the Almighty as we spend so much time condemning the sinful action.

Salvation is a gift from God. Like any gift, it cannot be earned. It is given to us through the grace of God and the sacrifice of his son Jesus on the cross at Calvary. The cross represents salvation through grace and forgiveness, not condemnation of the sins of man. Why is it we spend so much time on sin and so little time on forgiveness? Isn't forgiveness really the message of hope and the New Testament?

Josh made another comment in our conversation that I think is worth conveying. "Sin sells, forgiveness doesn't." What a commentary on our society, but he is right. You see it in the religious movement, the political movement and so many other aspects of our lives. What's worse is that whenever you talk about higher ideals, far too often, folks hear it as a condemnation instead of an inspiration.

Recently the discussion on the morning show revolved around strong families being the foundation of strong communities. At some point, I said, "We should all aspire to the ideal family of a loving father married to a loving mother raising their children in a loving and supportive home." Frankly, I was lucky enough to be raised in such a home (the luck of the draw) and I would love to see every child raised in such circumstances.

Several members of the audience took those comments as a condemnation of their circumstances as opposed to an ideal that should be strived for. I was surprised. I even commented first that I realized that there are all types of families in America today.

It seems when you talk or write about our better angels or convey ideas that are the "gold standard" we to aspire to, many folks see that as an attack. Is it because so much of our society functions on attack mode and pointing out the flaws in our brother? Maybe.

Is it a condemnation to lift up lofty ideals? Does that somehow offend others because they are not currently achieving those ideals? Maybe, but I don't see it that way. Lifting up higher ideals and attempting to strive for them is not a negative against another. Lowering the bar, in my opinion, is the real attack. It says you think so little of someone that all you believe they are capable of is the lowest common denominator. I reject that idea and frankly, not speaking for God of course, but I believe he rejects that idea as well.

Lifting up lofty ideas and aspiring to them is what God wants for us. Yes, we may not be able to reach the goal, but aspiring to the lofty ideals is the same as aspiring to achieve the happiness and prosperity that God wants for all of us.

God gave us the gift of his son as proof of his love for us and a clear message that he wants us to live in prosperity with him for eternity. He also sent us a very clear message about forgiving our neighbor while not sacrificing our beliefs to do so.

As I finished the dishes, it became clear to me what the conversation bouncing around in my head was all about. God has set some pretty clear principles by which he expects us to operate our lives. He also understood that we humans could not live up to those principles all the time even if we aspired to do so. He sent us his son as a reminder of his infinite love for us and as a clear and undeniable sign that when we fail, he forgives us just because we asked him to do so.

We should all aspire to live our lives according to God's principles. We should also all remember that none of us can do so. If God can forgive us when we fail, shouldn't we find a way to forgive ourselves and each other?

Feel free to respond to Ray's column in a Letter to the Editor. Send any feedback to editor@windhamindependent.com.

Ray Richardson is a longtime Westbrook resident and has also served as president of the Westbrook Chamber of Commerce. He has a morning radio show on WLOB, a TV show on FOX 23 and is involved with many community organizations. He can be contacted at ray@rayrichardson.com.

Ray Richardson is a longtime Westbrook resident and has also served as president of the Westbrook Chamber of Commerce. He has a morning radio show on WLOB, a TV show on FOX 23 and is involved with many community organizations. He can be contacted at ray@rayrichardson.com.