flagging

What a mistake to make! Putting the South Korean Flag on the screen next to the pictures of the North Korean Women’s Football Team at the Olympics. The press have made a big deal of it. The BBC news had it as their headline this morning, reporting on how offended the North Koreans were. There were probably prophets of doom who had been saying how bad it would all be who were busy polishing up their ‘I told you so’ speeches. Now I am not suggesting that this was not a significant error. Nor am I saying that the North Koreans should not have taken offence.

But in all of this I wonder if anyone has thought about the poor person who was responsible for the mistake? How are they feeling? How does it feel to them that every newspaper, TV station and radio bulletin is reminding them of the mistake that they made? I suspect that none of the media who are standing on the moral high ground and denouncing this mistake have given one moment’s thought to how that person is coping. Their innocent mistake is being broadcast across the world.

If it was me I would want to go into hibernation and not surface until after the 2016 Olympics, when this has become a distant memory.

Except that there is another way. When we let God down he does not make a big deal about it. He does not broadcast it to the world. It upsets him but he longs for us to ask for forgiveness, to seek a fresh start, to be renewed and receive his overwhelming grace.

I pray that the person responsible for the error is not feeling victimised or overwhelmed by the mistake. I pray that they may know God’s strength and grace. And I pray that those who are ready to condemn are also willing to put their self-righteous stones down and think about everyone who has been affected by this. And I pray that we too may know God’s forgiveness, restoration and grace and be as willing to share it as he is.

Be blessed, be a blessing.

This may be a surreal answer to the problem of getting the flags right:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjqIDFjBNhQ

With credit to Tim Vine and Flag Hippo*

*aka John Archer