There are librarians who take books off of their shelves. They decide that certain volumes are inappropriate, or have questionable value. Hence the decision to ditch them. 

 

A friend was musing about the contents of the Bible. 

 

"It starts off with two people being shamed for the bodies they were born with, and then banished. Their only sons argue, and one ends up murdering the other. What was God thinking?"

 

He was poking holes in the notion that happy stories are the only ones worth telling, That God would shy away from discord. Neither of us would suggest that the uncomfortable parts of the Bible be edited out. If scripture is going to address my life and yours, it needs to plunge into the debris. The misfortune that fell upon Adam and Eve was the result of their decision to believe their own senses rather than the guidance of their Creator. That is a consequence worth reading about. 

 

When my routine is muddied by conflict and stormy relationships, I can remember that the same God who penned the written Word with His finger is crafting my eternal welfare. Even the ugly parts. 

 

Take last week. There was enormous back lash for a statement made by someone in high office. The comment was a scant few words in length, directed at a clutch of women. It triggered shame around the bodies they were born with, and the threat of ostracization.

 

Yet the aftermath has been a waterfall of sparkling compassion, and solidarity. People are throwing themselves into the fray to embrace inclusivity, and mutual respect. Which is more valuable than a stack of libels.