My thoughts on the Josh Duggar situation

After you read a few paragraphs here, your feathers might be ruffled.  Please don’t click off; please finish the whole post and understand my heart.  Please know that I do care and love each of you and just want us all to thrive in our walks with Christ.

First off, I want to reiterate what we already know. That is that Josh Duggar has horribly sinned. He has sinned first and foremost against God, also against his wife and children, against his family, against the organization he worked with, against other Christians and many more.  His sin and the consequences will most likely devastate his family for a very long time IF not a lifetime.

The name of Christ has been so utterly trampled because of him. Thankfully, we have a BIG God!  He really doesn’t need Josh, but if Josh is willing, He can take this mess and make it into something beautiful. That is, if Josh is willing.  This can not be the fake tears and a feigned sorrow to get off the hook. It has involve real remorse and a changing of the heart.

The good news is that we know and love a Bible character that did the very same thing.  Look at David and look at when David finally sees his sin.

Psalms 51 “ Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. … Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.  Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. …The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 

This too must be the heart-cry of Josh if he wants to be restored to God and His family.  It can not be fake. It has to be a REAL crying out to God.

I love that it so clearly says “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee”

Josh can be restored and he can go on and live a godly life, teaching others the lessons that he has learned in such a difficult way. We as Christians need to pray for this in his life.

So now let’s talk about us. Yes, his family put themselves on TV for all the world to see, but, as Christians, do we have the right to judge them. …and this is where you might get your feathers ruffled… but PLEASE hang on and keep reading.

First off, I would say what Jesus said in John 8:7

“…He lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”

What Josh did was WRONG but why are we all throwing stones at him when our life is filled with our own sin.

If we TRULY feel like we are his "friend" then we would need to judge/confront him the right way. The Bible gives clear commands on how to confront our brother in Matthew 18:15-17

“Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.”

So if we feel strongly about what Josh did, then we need to go to him and confront him the Biblical way.  BUT, let’s be straight, most of us have never even met the guy, let alone been "friends" with him.  Instead, we are just trashing his name on social media.

Have you prayed for him? 

Have we got down on our knees and begged God to intervene for his wife and him? 

Have I prayed that God would restore their marriage and restore their family?

I have a very close friend who went through the same type of situation as Josh and Anna, many years ago.  It was a HORRIBLE time.  However, they got help, repentance took place, and recently the couple mentioned to me that their marriage was stronger and better than it was  before they had these issues. They are now thriving and serving God in some amazing ways. 

I have hope for the Duggars.  That hope is Jesus. He is in the healing business.  If Josh is willing, God can do some big things in his life and in hismarriage.

What can we learn from this?

1. Your sin WILL find you out?

Looking at this situation, I think it’s quite ridiculous that this young man thought that he could get away with his sin.  I mean, his family was on national TV. 

So what about us, dear friends, what are we hiding? What do people not know about in our lives?

Numbers 32:23  “Behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.”

2. Can I cast that stone?

What about you? Are you having an affair? There were thousands of people with Ashley Madison accounts.... but I’m not even talking about that.

Affair of the Heart:

What distracts you from your family? Am I obsessed with social media?  Do our husbands try to get our attention but we are too distracted talking to our friends online?  Am I so attached to my phone that it’s become my "love"?  What about football season?  Are you having an affair with sports?  Video games?  Pinterest?  Movies?

Emotional Affairs:

Ladies, maybe our husbands don't communicate in the ways that we need. So, where are we finding fulfillment?

Pornography: 

Many of us ladies are appalled by the fact that this young man was addicted to pornography. However, we see nothing wrong with watching soft porn that we name "chick flicks".  THE NOTEBOOK, TITANIC to name a couple.

“It’s just one scene!”

What if Josh said that about his problem?

Are we having affairs in our hearts, in our heads? What distracts you from your family? What is the "love" in my life?

HE DOES IT...

“Well, yeah, but my husband is distracted by ______________ and I just do ______ when he is doing ________.”

This is wrong. Both husband and wife need to get with God and ask Him to help them get rid of these distractions and make the couple ONE again.

A CLEAN HEART...

My sweet friend, CLEAR IT OUT! Get rid of it! Have an "affair" with Jesus. Have an affair with your husband. Make them the loves of your life. If they are not, then we are no better than Josh.

Ask God to show you. Let's remember to pray for this dear family and work on our own lives. – Rejoicing in the Present.