"But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
"That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the street, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward."
--Matthew 6: 3-5
Say what you will about the Prophet from Galilee, he wasn't naive. Verily He said unto us, they have their reward.
Yes, it is a reward--a very real reward--to be seen by men as you pray out loud in the synagogues. Or strut your stuff on television. Or take to Twitter to show the world just how all-fired good and moral and religious you are. The reward is fame. Depending on where you live, maybe even popularity. And a lot of people chase fame and popularity as others might chase money. If you're into that sort of thing, that kind of notoriety can feel good. Call it . . . rewarding.
Apparently there's a county clerk in a nearby state who appears very much into that sort of thing. And boy does she have her reward. The television stations can't get enough of her. She has defied the law of the land and has refused to give marriage licenses to homosexual couples. Even after a judge ordered her to do so.
She was found in contempt of court and jailed.
Folks are talking about her all over. And quoting her. And holding protests outside the clerk's office in support of her. It must feel great.
"This has never been a gay or lesbian issue for me," said clerk told Fox News. "This is about upholding the word of God."
No, this is about upholding the law. Or refusing to. If the clerk feels as though she cannot uphold the law--which, let it be noted, is a big part of a county clerk's job--then she has another recourse. And a good example can be found right here in Arkansas.
Back in July, the county clerk in Cleburne County, Ark.--one Dana Guffey--told the papers she would resign as clerk rather than issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. And she did so with a kind of dignity and charity that's rare in today's world. Call it her Christian witness.
"I didn't announce anything publicly or on social media or anything because I didn't want my decision to be seen as hateful," she told the press. "I know that some people will look at it like that, but this wasn't easy. It wasn't a decision I took lightly. And I do not hate anybody."
And so she resigned. She had her convictions, bless her, and she acted accordingly. Without lawyering-up or going on TV or praying loudly on the corner where she could be seen by others and reaping those (very real) rewards the Teacher talked about all those years ago.
Here endeth today's lesson.
cc: The Clerk of Court's Office
Rowan County, Kentucky
Editorial on 09/05/2015