My soul has been stirring for weeks about The Great Omission. Dictionary.com says that the word omission means “something left out, not done, or neglected”or the act of omitting which is “to fail to do” something.
I work in the legal realm and have observed that many many legal cases involve omissions (failure to act) that cause damage. For example, we have cases where a Plaintiff sues a Defendant for failing to follow the guidelines of the Texas Transportation Code in failing to stop at a stop sign causing a vehicular collision. In family law cases, parents can have their children taken away from them for child neglect which is a failure or omission to provide the child’s most basic needs. Or, in glancing at the Texas Penal Codes, it lists crimes of omission including Failure to Identify, Failure to Stop or Report Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child, Failure to Report a Felony, etc. Clearly, omissions are a serious issue.
Last night, Pastor James deMelo at Covenant Church made a profound statement when he said that a soldier in combat is not the safest in the trenches hiding out. It is a soldier that is moving and shooting that is the most safe. He went on to give several great examples of people failing to act, or failing to lead and how those omissions can be damaging.
Where I have been wrestling about Omissions is this. The Bible’s “Great Commission” is to spread the teachings of Jesus Christ to all the nations of the world. Thus, if we are not doing that, we are actually committing “The Great Omission”. I must be honest. I am completely guilty of this crime and find myself repeatedly falling into a comfortable daily rhythm of having coffee, going to work, picking up kids, starting homework and dinner, and turning into a pumpkin around 9:00 pm. But, there is hope.
Awareness and acknowledgment of being a party to The Great Omission is the first step. I find that realization persistently nagging and annoying like a dull toothache.
Where are you on that ladder? If we join forces together we can conquer more of the world!!!
Social media hugs.
(February 16, 2012)
