The Situation and the Terrain

Chaplain Carl said something really profound the other day. Something so meaningful that I felt it needed to be expanded upon. By me.

He said, “I can lead you into a world of Legalism, and you will live lives of sin. Or I can teach you about Grace, and you will sin no more.”

A religious life centered on a list of do’s and don’ts, rights and wrongs --Legalism -- will indeed lead us to a life of sin. Because we will make mistakes. We will mess up. And then we will have Committed Sin.

But a religious life based on Grace and immersed in God’s never ending love of us will lead us to lead lives filled with goodness and mercy and kindness and compassion and right thinking. Sure, we’ll still mess up, but we will not have lost any of God’s love or moved away from Him or be less entitled to his Grace.

Some people want the list of do’s and don’ts. They like the certainty of always knowing exactly what is right and what is wrong. But life isn’t that simple.

A lie is not always a sin. It’s very easy to imagine circumstances where a lie is actually an act of kindness and compassion.

Long time ago, I had a friend who liked to say that in Tactical Theory Class at West Point the correct answer to almost any question was “It depends on the situation and the terrain”. Here’s a situation where I should have thought about that.

Many years ago, I worked at Pizza Hut as a waitress. This was back when pizza was a big deal. There weren’t any five dollar hot and ready deals. No cheap buffets. For some of us, eating out at a pizza parlor was a big night out. I can remember when my kids were small, counting pennies to see if we could also get a salad. When I was waiting tables there, they also offered a pasta dish. Wagon wheel pasta and your choice of what went in it, onions, pepperoni, green peppers. In a little dish that looked like a boat.

 

So this man came in with his three kids, and they each ordered one of these pasta dishes and each one wanted it a different way.  No onions in one, pepperoni and sausage in another.  I don’t think the man ordered anything but the terrible coffee we served there.  And then a few minutes in, he calls me over and tells me that each dish was wrong.  The kids looked uncomfortable.  I offered to make them over or give him the meal for half price.  He opted for half price.  A week later, the same thing happened.  And then again.  The third time, I made very sure that the dishes were make correctly, and when he started to complain, I said no.  No, I know they’re right.  And we never saw the man again. 

In my mind at that time, I was doing the right thing.  I was playing by the rules, and he was lying.  I was standing up for a principal.  But now that I have children and I’ve been poor, I understand that he was just trying to feed his children, give them a treat he could not afford.  My loyalty should not have been to a corporation but to a father who was struggling.  I should have cared less about the rules, the principals, the Legalism, and more about kindness to a person.  I should have said, Oh, I’m so sorry, I don’t know why we can’t get this right.  Comped his meal and sent him home with a pizza. 

 

For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.  1 Corinthians  1:25