Although Keri and I have never met in person, I feel like I know her really well. We were introduced by our mutual friend — and fellow blogger — Angela Russell of the Coupon Project. I am excited that when I get to Washington this summer, Keri and I will meet up at Starbucks to talk blogging, parenting, marriage, and faith.
Wrongfully Accused
Saturdays around Casa Welch are extremely hectic, as I’m sure is the case in most homes.
But, on the Saturday in question, things were made uber hectic by the “NO VACANCIES” sign that was posted in the timeout corner for the better part of the day.
At some point, my hubs, Mike, had put our oldest son Lukas in timeout.
Normal procedure in our home is the parent who put the kid in the timeout is the one who releases him post mini-lecture.
But, on this particular Saturday, I noticed Mike was too busy to deal with the post timeout lecture.
So, I took it upon myself to dig deep in my heart for my best speech on the perils of lying and untruth.
My audience of one, Lukas, politely listened, gave me a hug, asked for forgiveness, and was sent off to play.
::
Later in the day, I said to Mike, “Wow, I’m really bummed that Lukas may have a problem with lying.”
Mike looks at me sideways, “Huh?”
“Ya know, the timeout earlier for lying.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I thought you put Lukas in timeout for lying.”
“No, he was in timeout for hitting his brother.”
Oops.
Mommy fail.
::
I felt terrible for punishing Lukas for a crime he did not commit.
Although he had done something wrong, it wasn’t what he was being punished for.
He was wrongfully accused.
It reminded me of a story from my own childhood.
Rewind about 22 years.
My younger brother and I were sitting at the kids’ table at a family function.
Mom decided we were going to have cooked spinach that day, straight from the can, Popeye style.
I could barely stomach the green mush, and in most instances would gag upon swallowing. My usual tactic was to eat it bit by bit along with a huge gulp of milk.
But, this time, my rebellious streak took over as I deftly slid my portion of spinach off of my plate and onto the floor.
Surely, Mom wouldn’t make me eat spinach off the floor.
I guess wrong.
“Jonathan Mark, I don’t care if that spinach has fallen on the floor, you WILL eat it!”
And, just like that, my little brother scooped it up and swallowed the green gag inducing goo with nary a peep.
It was years before my mom knew the truth of that fateful day.
The day my brother took the fall for me after being wrongfully accused.
::
I know these snippets from my life don’t hold a candle to Christ’s death on the cross, but it made me think of His sacrifice from the perspective of parent and child.
God knowingly sacrificed His Son for the sins of all mankind.
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. (Isaiah 53:6)
The sins He did not commit.
He made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf (II Corinthians 5:21)
How it must have grieved the Father when Jesus cried out to Him
Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me (Mark 14:36)
Yet, the Son willingly submits to His death sentence
Yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before shearers, so He did not open His mouth. (Isaiah 53:7)
He was wrongfully accused so that I would be made righteous.
So that I would not suffer the death due unto me.
That I would be redeemed.
He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us; which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14)
And, for this I shout Hosanna.
Praise be to Him.
Worthy is the Lamb!!
What experiences in your life strike you as tangible reminders of His sacrifice on the cross?
Keri lives in the Greater Seattle area, where she can be found climbing Mt. Laundry, loving on her 3 sons, cheering on the Sounders with the hubs, spying what’s cute at Target, or laughing with friends over copious amounts of coffee. In whatever time is left, she loves to read, watch movies, listen to new music, and then blog about what God’s teaching her through it all at Pop Parables.
Brilliant, Keri! I love the personal anecdotes relating to Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on our behalf. For me, personal reminders include memories I have during college: I was able to experience community (and see some leaders truly live this out). They lived as if Christ died and was resurrected each and every single day. It was the central theme of their day/life.
Thanks a lot, Dustin. 🙂 I know my personal stories are only mere glimpses of His glory, but it helps me to really grasp the concept of His sacrifice.
I love how college brings about community in a new way. It takes a lot of work to seek that out and create it once you’re out of that environment. But, it sounds like you had some awesome examples of how do to do that and how to live your faith.
Melissa…thank you so much for allowing me to share here in your space. I like all the plans you have for us upon your move!!! 🙂 I can’t wait to hug your neck! I hope I don’t cry.
(She has babies, there is probably spit-up on that neck. Fair warning:))
LOL She’ll just get the spit up from my neck in return. hehehe
Hahah! Awesome!! 🙂
My pleasure, Keri. 🙂 Looking forward to meeting in person.
Brilliant stuff, Keri. You have a real gift for this.
Thanks, Jason. It’s only because He gives me the words.
Oooo….you Jesus Juked me! 😉
Jesus Jukes
Keri 1
Jason 0
The battle begins
I agree with you, Jason! 🙂
Awe. Poor Jon!! Thanks Keri, enjoyed it. Glad to see you loving blogging.
You can say you knew him when, Tammy! LOL Thanks for reading. 🙂
Muy bueno Keri. Me gusto mucho las palabras que escribiste.
When I was a kid, I was an expert in blaming others for my mistakes. It really is an art. A bad one, but art nevertheless.
I am always in awe about Christ’s relentless approach of paying such heavy sacrifice for our sin. He willingly received the punishment, no argument, no defense. It is finished! So good!
Isn’t it hard to NOT defend yourself? Especially when you feel like you’re innocent. That’s something I definitely struggle with as well.
Oh, oh, oh, I almost missed your comment Moe-how did that happen?! And, wow, compliments en Espanol (that I actually understand!). I feel so special. {blush}
I would love to hear some stories from your childhood about blaming mistakes on others. I’m sure they’re hilarious. Blog post, yes?!
More on Pop Parables this week about His willingness to take our sins upon Himself. Meet you there. Same bat time. Same bat channel.
Great post, as usual, Keri! Thank you for taking the time out of your already hectic schedule to share here. 🙂
Thanks Keri for posting this. It is really touching and makes you think about things that others have gotten the blame for. It made me think how we should each stand up and claim the responsibility instead of letting other’s take the “fall”. I am hoping maybe to start teaching that to my children. Thanks for the inspiration.
It’s soooo American to blame our problems on someone else. But, as Christians, I think we should be the last to blame our problems on others. When, we know that the reason our worst moments are paid for is because Someone else took the fall for me. That right there is where is at all begins in my heart: acknowledging that I’m in need of a Savior because I’m a big mess all on my own.
what a great story. sibling love. Father love. love.
The glimpses of His character that we see through our human relationships…it’s just lovely, isn’t it?
Ha! Jon is such a good sport. What a great bro!
Knowing Jon, maybe he did it to be funny. Because he foresaw what an amazing story it would be. hahaha Thanks for reading, Wes! 🙂
Great post! I was totally grossed out that your brother ate the spinach…never mind that it was on the floor too! I think I threw up in my mouth a little…LOL!
I was grossed out too! LOL I really think he may have thought it was funny.
0 Responses
Brilliant, Keri! I love the personal anecdotes relating to Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on our behalf. For me, personal reminders include memories I have during college: I was able to experience community (and see some leaders truly live this out). They lived as if Christ died and was resurrected each and every single day. It was the central theme of their day/life.
Thanks a lot, Dustin. 🙂 I know my personal stories are only mere glimpses of His glory, but it helps me to really grasp the concept of His sacrifice.
I love how college brings about community in a new way. It takes a lot of work to seek that out and create it once you’re out of that environment. But, it sounds like you had some awesome examples of how do to do that and how to live your faith.
Melissa…thank you so much for allowing me to share here in your space. I like all the plans you have for us upon your move!!! 🙂 I can’t wait to hug your neck! I hope I don’t cry.
(She has babies, there is probably spit-up on that neck. Fair warning:))
LOL She’ll just get the spit up from my neck in return. hehehe
Hahah! Awesome!! 🙂
My pleasure, Keri. 🙂 Looking forward to meeting in person.
Brilliant stuff, Keri. You have a real gift for this.
Thanks, Jason. It’s only because He gives me the words.
Oooo….you Jesus Juked me! 😉
Jesus Jukes
Keri 1
Jason 0
The battle begins
I agree with you, Jason! 🙂
Awe. Poor Jon!! Thanks Keri, enjoyed it. Glad to see you loving blogging.
You can say you knew him when, Tammy! LOL Thanks for reading. 🙂
Muy bueno Keri. Me gusto mucho las palabras que escribiste.
When I was a kid, I was an expert in blaming others for my mistakes. It really is an art. A bad one, but art nevertheless.
I am always in awe about Christ’s relentless approach of paying such heavy sacrifice for our sin. He willingly received the punishment, no argument, no defense. It is finished! So good!
Isn’t it hard to NOT defend yourself? Especially when you feel like you’re innocent. That’s something I definitely struggle with as well.
Oh, oh, oh, I almost missed your comment Moe-how did that happen?! And, wow, compliments en Espanol (that I actually understand!). I feel so special. {blush}
I would love to hear some stories from your childhood about blaming mistakes on others. I’m sure they’re hilarious. Blog post, yes?!
More on Pop Parables this week about His willingness to take our sins upon Himself. Meet you there. Same bat time. Same bat channel.
Great post, as usual, Keri! Thank you for taking the time out of your already hectic schedule to share here. 🙂
Thanks Keri for posting this. It is really touching and makes you think about things that others have gotten the blame for. It made me think how we should each stand up and claim the responsibility instead of letting other’s take the “fall”. I am hoping maybe to start teaching that to my children. Thanks for the inspiration.
It’s soooo American to blame our problems on someone else. But, as Christians, I think we should be the last to blame our problems on others. When, we know that the reason our worst moments are paid for is because Someone else took the fall for me. That right there is where is at all begins in my heart: acknowledging that I’m in need of a Savior because I’m a big mess all on my own.
what a great story. sibling love. Father love. love.
The glimpses of His character that we see through our human relationships…it’s just lovely, isn’t it?
Ha! Jon is such a good sport. What a great bro!
Knowing Jon, maybe he did it to be funny. Because he foresaw what an amazing story it would be. hahaha Thanks for reading, Wes! 🙂
Great post! I was totally grossed out that your brother ate the spinach…never mind that it was on the floor too! I think I threw up in my mouth a little…LOL!
I was grossed out too! LOL I really think he may have thought it was funny.