I was reading Gail Godwin’s novel Evensong where I ran across these words spoken by an older man posing as an Episcopal monk: “No man is ever finished. If all else fails, he can always serve as a bad example to others.” What? No one’s useless as long as they can serve as a bad example? Do I believe that?

Maybe some context will help. Evensong is about an Episcopal priest, Margaret Bonner, her husband, Adrian Bonner (also a priest, acting headmaster at a church school), several other odd people, and Tony, the fake monk. Just your average, everyday religious novel. One of the twisters in the story is that Tony turns out to be Adrian’s father who abandoned him when he was a boy. Does that help explain why Tony might think there’s some value in being a bad example? Maybe not.

I grew up watching Ozzie and Harriet. Problems were never very serious and were always solved in 30 minutes (minus commercials). Real life just isn’t like that. It may not be as quirky as Evensong, but it’s close. People aren’t perfect. They have hard times. They do dumb things. And we have to live with them–at work, at school, at the gym, even at church. I’m reminded by the character Tony not to write off anyone for who knows what good God might work through them.

That goes for children and retired folk as well. The young and old are sometimes dismissed by society. God never does that. God always has use for us no matter what.

Read Joel 2:28 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne