Crumbling Pedestals

"Don't make people into heroes, John. Heroes don't exist, and if they did I wouldn't be one of them."--Sherlock Holmes in BBC's Sherlock

We have a tendency to put people on pedestals, don't we?  Our favorite actor, singer, or even one of our friends can end up on a gleaming pedestal.  To our eyes, they can do no wrong; and if they ever do something we can't ignore, we justify them.  Sometimes we overlook serious problems along with their quirks.  We do this with celebrities all the time, but usually their actions don't directly affect us.  However, I've been through friendships in which I ignored red flags because I thought so highly of my friend that I didn't realize how deeply that friend would hurt me.

In Sherlock's comment, he is making a point that, no matter how much good a person does, no one is perfect and everyone will eventually disappoint.  We get caught up in the good things a person does--whether it is great generosity, visiting cancer patients, saving a life, or just being nice to us--and decide that this person must be next to perfect.  We see them through a lens that pretty much blocks out anything they do wrong.

This is not how we should view our fellow humans.  After all,

"There is no one who does good, not even one.” Romans 3:12b

Only God is totally good.  If we think that anyone else can do no wrong, we are essentially putting them on level with God.  This may seem a bit extreme, but Jesus clearly said,

“No one is good—except God alone." Mark 10:18b

We run into three major problems when we idolize people like that, especially when it comes to our friends.  First, as I've said, we put them on level with God.  Second, we can be disappointed when someone doesn't live up to our expectations or hurt when behavior we've ignored turns on us.  Third, when someone is on a pedestal, we can't reach out to them.  People who look perfect on the outside can be seriously struggling; but because they are standing in a spotlight, they feel like they can't open up and be vulnerable.

But, like most extremes, this one has a flip-side.  A popular idol that everyone thought could do no wrong falls into infamy pretty much every other week.  High-profile pastors, pop stars, billionaires, or anyone in the public eye can be in headlines for weeks after some "unforgivable" scandal.  But let's face it, the "exalted shall be humbled".  The higher the pedestal, the greater the fall.

So we have to be careful when walking the fine line between believing someone can do no wrong and believing someone can do no right.  We are all imperfect humans, and we can't see what is going on beneath the surface.  A "perfect" person still struggles with sin; someone we've labeled as hopeless can still be saved.

Oh wait...didn't Jesus already talk about this in the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14)?

Only God knows what is in the heart.  What we can know is that no one is perfect--so we shouldn't expect people to be.  What we also know is that no one is beyond salvation--Jesus died to save all who trust in Him, no matter how "bad" or "unforgivable" they seem.  Not only that, but He loves those deemed unlovable...including us.  If He can love us, whether we are on a pedestal or in the ditch where one used to be, shouldn't we learn to love others? Not because they are perfect or because they aren't...but because He first loved us.