Sept. 12: What goes around, comes around

One of my favourite parables that Jesus told is the one about the Pharisee and the tax collector. Both of them went to temple to pray. 

Pharisee: God, thank you for making me so wonderful and righteous. I don't steal, I don't cheat on my wife, and I'm not an evildoer. And I always give away one tenth of what I make. Thanks for not making me like that tax collector over there.

Tax collector: God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Jesus said that the tax collector was justified before God. "For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted."

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Is it true that what goes around, comes around?

The New Testament seems to think so. In Galatians, Paul promises his readers that you will reap what you sow. This begs the question, what are you sowing?

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But if you're talking about karma, then I'm going to bow out of the conversation. Particularly if someone has wronged you and you're saying "karma is going to get them." When someone says that, you can be rest assured that they think they're better than most people. They're like the Pharisee.

In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray as follows: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

If you're asking for forgiveness and you're not willing to forgive, then you're a curious one, my friend. You're saying: "my sins aren't that bad, God. Heck, they're hardly even sins at all. But what Henry did to me seven years ago at Berk's Fried Chicken, that was awful, don't You agree? Oh I know you've got a nice hot spot ready for Henry and you're not going to let him off the hook no matter how sorry he says he is. Maybe you'll even let me throw him in the lake of fire. Can I? Can I please?"

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I don't want any of my readers to think I'm some holy preacher here. Trust me, I act like the Pharisee enough in my life for me to think there's anything all that righteous in me.