Where God scores over YouTube

If you drive, you probably know what it’s like to turn into a busy supermarket car park, carefully follow the arrows to a suitable parking space, and have to swerve to avoid someone who has apparently noticed neither the arrows nor the ‘no entry’ signs telling them that they are going the wrong way.

In such a situation you and I would naturally smile, apologise and politely allow others to go safely on their way. But I was shown an online video recently that showed someone who, having made such a mistake, reacted rather differently. Someone chose to film what followed on their smartphone, and posted it on the internet for the entire world to see.

I once visited a house where a plaque hung in the hall. It read: “Christ is the head of the home, the unseen guest of every meal, the silent listener to every conversation.” I must admit that at the time this idea felt a bit creepy – but like everyone else, I’ve grown used to being in shops, in streets and on trains where cameras watch my every move, so the idea of Christ watching me as well doesn’t really bother me.

The writer of Psalm 25 pleads with God: do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions. Online videos offer a ‘watch again’ option at the end – fine if it’s Gone with the Wind, your favourite band or Rooney scoring for England, but not if the world’s watching you having a difficult moment on a bad day over and over again. But the Psalmist would probably say that God isn’t interested in watching our mistakes over and over again, only in our new beginnings – and that’s where He scores over YouTube.

Brian