All Men are Jerks; Love Them
All Men are Jerks; Love Them

All men are jerks is simply my way of using the vernacular of our day to describe the common manifestation of the character of fallen man. We read in Hebrews 11 a list of many men that received the Lord’s favor. All of them, where their character is described, were jerks. Abraham was a cowardly liar. David was a lustful tyrant. In all cases it is not the character of man, but the character of the Lord shown through His grace that makes the man worthy.

From the beginning the Lord knew that "It is not good that the man should be alone" (Gen 2:18), and gave him not a footstool but someone to walk hand-in-hand with by his side. To the man the Lord gave a blessing. To the woman, He gave a jerk. Ponder that a moment and remember that life works well only when grace flows.

On July 16, 2015 a man opened fire at two facilities in Chattanooga, Tennessee and killed five. It appears that at least two or three returned fire killing the assailant. One of those returning fire was Lt. Commander Timothy White, the husband of one wife and father of seven.

It has been and will continue to be argued if the assailant was driven by anti-depressants, as so many mass shooters have been, was driven by religious fervor, or his life’s circumstances collapsed upon him causing tragedy to so many others in its wake. I offer no answer.

Like oil and water, politics and truth don’t mix. There are too many political ideologies at stake that we will probably always have doubts when a final report is made public. Commander White fired seven rounds from his personal weapon. Will the public ever know with confidence if any hit the assailant or if any were the fatal blow to stop him? How could a government attempting to suppress private firearms ever acknowledge a private weapon was used to stop an assailant? This is a political football that will probably be deflated and forgotten except by those most intimately involved.

Like so many in the past who were suddenly thrust onto the public stage, over time they are forgotten. However, there is one person who will never forget: Franicia White. More than anyone on this earth, Franicia knows the weaknesses and failings of Commander White. Like all men Commander White is a jerk. Like some men Commander White has received the grace of the Lord. His wife loudly manifests this when she writes "I am honored to be his wife and stand by him 100 percent."

While it is right and good that Franicia stands by her husband as he is in the public eye after a notable event, I suggest that this is very secondary. What counts is her standing beside him, not behind him, all the days they have been together before July 16th. It is not the moment in the limelight, but the day to day life living with and loving a fallen man.

Like Joshua, and all of us jerks, Commander White is called to "be strong and very courageous" (Joshua 1:7). Again like Joshua there is a call for us to proclaim "But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15). Only when a man is strong and courageous can he make that claim. Only when his wife stands with him, or with the jerk she is married to, can "my house" be fulfilled. It appears the White family has this blessing. Praise the Lord!

To Lt. Commander Timothy White: Sir, you have my respect and it is my joy to call you my Christian brother. While I honor your actions on that terrible day in July, my respect is more due to Franicia, Pelaiah, Daniel, Abraham, Noah, Heistheway, Shiloh, and baby.

To Franicia White: The verses in Colossians 3, 1st Peter 3, and especially the dreaded Ephesians 5 will cause the world to panic. You seem to live them in love. Thank you! May others follow!

Proverbs 18:22 "He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD."

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All Men are Jerks; Love Them