Saturday-These People

Chet Gladkowski
May 31
4 min read

Updated: Jun 7

But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.

2 Peter 2:12

In the family I grew up in, the Number One rule that guided our lives went something like this. “Is it practical? Does it bring in money or put food on the table?” This was our Mantra. It was our Golden Rule when it came to what we did or didn’t do. How we invested our time, energy, and money.

For example, having a boat to just drive around was a complete waste. But take that very same boat and bring home fish to eat, that was terrific. So, my dad bought an old, used, wooden boat and we’d go fishing.

But our kind of fishing wasn’t what you see in magazines or in the movies. There you see happy and relaxed people dressed in clean and pressed clothes. Their boat is spotless and the weather is perfect. It seems like every time their line touches the water, a giant fish bites and falls into their boat. Our fishing experience was very different.

We got up at the crack of dawn and carried gas alone with everything else down to the boat. We wore old cloths because bait and fish guts were sure to get on us. The whole point of our fishing wasn’t to relax or enjoy each other, but to catch fish to eat. It was more like a commercial fishing operation than anything relaxing.

And just like fishing can be different, so can animals. Some animals are cute and fuzzy. Others just sit by your side or in your lap. Some animals are very smart. Our dog, for example, can read the clock in our house. At least it seems that way because it always starts barking to remind us to put food in the bowl.

But there are some animals that aren’t nice at all. They are angry. Brutal. All they know is to attack and tear up anyone and anything that gets near. Our son had a snake like that. Whenever you walked by it lunged at you. The only thing that kept you safe was the glass cage.

It may sound hard and harsh, but there are people just like this. To them, it’s all about them and their stomachs. They have no shame[1]. They have no idea about the important things in life.

Even though to these people there’s no such thing as right or wrong, there is one thing that will set off an explosion in them. They believe that good and bad are just different opinions, unless someone disagrees with them. There’s no moral high ground because no ideas are better than any other, but they’ll tear you apart if you question them or anything they say.

When it comes to life, hurting people is at the top of their list. Nothing’s serious. They just don’t get that other people have feelings. Everything’s a joke except when it comes to them. They can lash out at everyone but no one better even breath a word against them.

Now, we don’t like to be with these people. You probably don’t do what I do, but I’ll walk to the other side of the street if I see them coming. Why? I just don’t want to deal with them. They exhaust me. After talking with them, the good mood I was in is long gone. I feel like I need to rush home and take a shower.

Talking about people as beyond hope is a hard thing for us. We don’t like to give up on anybody. Why? Because deep down inside we think there’s a little bit of good in there. And like the Grinch [2] who stole Christmas, if they do the right thing, do a good thing, they’ll be transformed into a good person.

But the painful truth is that these people, like those violent animals, are going to be caught and destroyed. Their background and nature put them beyond any hope. There’s no chance for their recovery. They are beyond hope.

Did any of that make your heart sad? Or did it make you think about someone you know? Someone you love? About yourself? For me, it’s a full-length feature motion picture with my life on the big silver screen. And just so you know, it’s exactly how Peter felt about himself[3]. And so did Paul[4]. And so did David[5]. And so did many others.

When we’re completely honest with ourselves, we see that there’s no way out. We can’t fix ourselves. We can’t save ourselves. That’s why God chose to do something about it. Before the beginning of the world, God chose you and me to become different people. To become holy and blameless in love[6]. And our part is to believe it[7]. Receive it. There’s nothing we can do to earn it. It’s through grace through faith[8]. Period. Talk about undeserving. God changes us from one of those people into his sons and daughters.