If you have not seen a presentation of Les Miserables, what are you doing reading this non-blog? Seriously. Stop now and go acquire a copy and watch.

Right. I’m sure you did.

Ha. I just wrote the word acquire. I bet there are a handful of people out there who think EXACTLY what I do when that word is used. They know. If you don’t, you will. But not now. I love that word and what it represents to me and those others I mentioned.

I’m getting back to Les Mis soon.

But, I need to pause and sing…”if I were a rich man….bididibidibi…….HUH” It is on Pandora. My station is called “If I Were a Rich Man.” I love it. Since I started my new job on July 1, I have listened to this station exclusively (except like the first hour or so when I had it on Praise and Worship). I am enamored with Fiddler on the Roof, Sound of Music, Phantom of the Opera, and Les Miserables.

Les Miserables. First and foremost. I referred to it as Les Mis above. I did that on purpose. Even though it grates on my nerves like the word BLOG. I just don’t like shortened words. They annoy me. SUV. Seriously? Just say Sport Utility Vehicle. Do we not have enough time to say the words? Ugh! It bothers me. But then it bothers me that it bothers me. Its an endless loop. Yes. I realize, that means I’m not far from some form of mental disorder. So be it. I love God and I love people. That’s what Jesus said is most important. Being crazy is not wrong.

You know something though, I am not self-righteous about taking shortcuts on things like words. I hate it. Maybe it is my love of grammar…uh oh…I think if I keep that last phrase in here, I have opened myself up to endless grammatical attacks from now on. But you know what, bring it on. I love grammar discussions. And if I make a mistake, I thoroughly embrace the correction. Got it? Bring it!

Whew…back to the not original topic…I take short cuts in strange areas, so I have no right to judge. I try to only have shoes with no shoe strings, or get them large enough that I can slip them on and off without tying, untying….then doing that over and over hundreds of times for the life of that shoe. WHAT??? Its not the time loss that bothers me. Just the thought of doing that task again makes me want to throw a shoe. And seriously, do not get me started on buttons on shirts. ohhhh, boy….anxiety is setting in. If a neck button on my oxford shirt does not go in the first time, it is possible that I have a terrible day. That button has nothing to do in life except

go
in
the
button
hole (I reallly wanted to use another word)

Mom. Its ok. I just leaned back. Took a breath. I’m good. I’m back on topic.

(You’ll read about my mom later. And my dad. They are simply amazing. You’ll see if you don’t already know)

Les Miserables. That story captures me. There is no doubt that my heart expands watching it, listening to the sound track, and even talking or thinking about it. I used to show the Liam Neeson version to my drop-out prevention classes. Just because I thought they needed to see it. And I wanted to talk to them about the message. I never got to see it on stage. Though I’ve heard its not necessarily as good to watch on stage.

Stay here.

Man. The story of redemption. Love. Forgiveness. Ransom. WOW!

Jean Valjean. What a hero. Maybe the best there is outside of Jesus of course. And little ones, Jesus IS a hero. The best. Why don’t more adults pattern their life after him you might wonder? I wonder too. I wonder why I don’t too. I think I do. Then I realize that I fall so far short.

Which brings me to my main point. I love Jean Valjean. If you seriously haven’t seen it, I recommend maybe starting with Liam Neeson version. Not a musical. It just tells the story. In short, Jean is redeemed by a man who had every right to condemn him. Jean spends the rest of his life carrying on that love and forgiveness. The story is not that simple. Yet, at the same time, it is just that simple.

So, I was watching it recently. The 2012 version with Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe (shhhhh…don’t start in on him…enough…he did fine). Boy, I tear up so much watching it. I so badly want to identify with Jean Valjean. And I try. I often think I am succeeding. But I’m telling you something my friends, when I heard Inspector Javert singing about the righteous being rewarded for following the law and working hard, I got absolutely punched in the face and stomach at the same time. (“One Day More” is on now…I’ve got chills). Javert simply could never get the point. And we are so much more like him than we want to acknowledge. He wanted people to suffer for their sins, their crimes. Even himself. He could not grasp redemption. He could not understand grace. It was cut and dry to him. Follow the law and you are rewarded with peace. Break the law and you suffer. Jean Valjean completely destroyed the Inspector. With love. Grace. Redemption. The Inspector could not accept it. He ended his life lost. Alone. Only because he could not forgive. Couldn’t forgive others. Nor himself.

I’m trying hard to be like Valjean. I want to be like him. I want to be like Jesus who said, “Father forgive them. They know not what they do.” Freedom.

But I find myself too often wanting justice. For me and for others.

That is fine. If I let the judge decide. He knows how to judge. I don’t. Can you help me remember that? I am not the judge. I am not the jury. There’s only one judge. And He judges me unjustly by my own standards. Why can’t I let him do the same for all?