Leaning Pisas

“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults – unless, of course, you want the same treatment.  Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang.  Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier” Luke 6:37 (MSG).

The leaning Tower of Pisa is famous because it leans. Although it was designed to be perfectly vertical, it started to lean during construction.   Piazza dei Miracoli of Pisa is the most amazing collection of Romanesque architecture in Italy.  The leaning Tower of Pisa is the piazza's crowning glory among the landscape of this region.  Over the years measures have been taken to strengthen the foundation of this tower.  At one point, they considered efforts to relocate the tower by removing stone by stone.

Each of us was designed to be perfectly vertical, but soon after creation sin caused the lean of mankind towards the flesh.  Every one of us is flawed and bent towards sin as our lives are constructed on earth.  We look to each other’s imperfections and judge, criticize and condemn instead of accepting the beauty of the person.  Flaw by flaw we pick apart others attempting to reconstruct and rebuild according to our standards. 

God has taken measures to strengthen our foundation through Christ.  He knew the lean would eventually become so compromised that mankind would eventually topple.  He sent the perfect Architect into this world to create a final anchor in the foundation.  Through the sacrifice of Christ, every one of us is realigned in perfect vertical standing with God. 

May we accept others for who they are in Christ instead of pointing out what we see through the flesh.