It occurred to me today that David Letterman and Jimmy Swaggart have something in common. Most of you have heard by now about Letterman's confession this past week of having multiple affairs with women who were members of his staff. This revelation came on the heals of an alleged extortion attempt by a CBS producer who was trying to get some hush money from the star of The Late Show. As the story unfolded, I started thinking about how many people David Letterman has made the butt of his jokes through the years for the very sins he himself was committing and then it hit me: That's the same thing Swaggart did! Remember Jimmy Swaggart? The televangelist who confessed to sexual sin in the late eighties. Before the confession of his own failures, Mr. Swaggart used to rail on the failures of others pretty strongly. Instead of making jokes about them like Letterman did, he preached sermons. Sermons about how sinful all the people are who were doing the very same things he was doing in secret!
I guess we all do this. I guess we all have a tendency to focus on the things we hate about ourselves when we see it in the lives of other people. Our pride won't let us deal with those sins in our own lives, so we feel like we have to target the things we struggle with in someone else's life and call them out. Instead, here's what the Bible says we should do. Galatians 6:1, Brothers if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.
I know there will be plenty of people who will line up to say Letterman is simply reaping what he has sown. That he had it coming! I've decided not to do that. I've decided to pray for David Letterman and his family. I'm praying for Jimmy Swaggart as well. While I'm at it, I think I'll pray for me and you!
