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I was reading a blog by Gordon Hayward, the Boston Celtic who suffered a horrific ankle injury in the opening minutes of his NBA Opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

As he shared his thoughts and feelings in the days after the injury and surgery, this quote leaped out at me:

And then there was the Utah Jazz. I had such a tough decision to leave this summer and yet everyone from ownership, to front office, coaches and all my teammates were immediately there for me. They continue to show that they are first class in every way, and I am so fortunate to have been a part of that organization.

Hayward’s former team was, in his words, first class.

It would have been easy for one of his former teammates to tweet something snarky or post something passive-aggressive on Facebook and then ask everyone to share it.

Piling on is the norm for social media.

Our dark side’s seem to revel in kicking people when their down.

The worst offenders at this, in my experience?  Christians.

We love to eat our own.

Jesus said his disciples would be known by their radical love and honor shown to each other (John 15:12).

All I ever see and hear are stories and examples of Christians taking shots at each other in gossipy conversations and publicly online.

If your faith propels you to take shots at other people, you’re doing it wrong.

When church people spend time falsely accusing one another, it frees up Satan to do other work.

Christian leaders should be the models of integrity and honor.

We should be praying for, cheering for, and encouraging one another.  We don’t have time for pettiness and “discernment blogs.”

If you get a kick out of accusing other Christians, remind yourself of direct translation of the name ‘Accuser’ in the Bible: Satan.

And if you’re a leader who is on the receiving end of rocks being thrown, understand this truth: If you want God’s power and blessing on your ministry, you must be willing to absorb the pain of others without resentment.

Choose to be First Class.  Don’t let a basketball team out-honor Jesus’ team.

Always take the high road: there’s less traffic and the Master is most honored.

Scriptures: John 15:12

Jonathan Herron (website: JonathanHerron)

Jonathan Herron is the founding pastor of Life Church Michigan, a fresh, modern church for people who don’t like going to church. His first book on using the rules of comedy in leadership will be released nationwide soon.

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Christy Snell avatar

Christy Snell

commented on Dec 8, 2022

"We don’t have time for pettiness and “discernment blogs.” I think we had better make the time. Scripture tells us that part of our job is to expose deception and lies. Matthew 7:15: If someone is purportedly a brother or a sister in the faith and he or she is saying things that directly oppose Scripture, they can mislead innocent people. In that instance, writing about someone in a discernment blog isn't throwing stones at someone for the heck of it nor is it rejoicing in tearing someone down. It is for the greater good. We aren't being petty; we are exposing the dark in Jesus's name because people need to know the truth.

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