ALL ABOUT ANTHONY

Has there been enough said about Anthony Weiner?

If this Congressman had an inordinate need to make himself known, that is certainly what has happened.

Narcissism pushed it's way past any potential concern of shame he would cause his wife...then went past any stain to the family name for his future child...then bowled over his high calling of leadership, and then slapped God in the face.

But perhaps if Anthony Weiner had been "@hisrightmind", those choices would have been no-brainers.

So what makes John Edwards and the Governator and Eliot Spitzer and Mark Foley and Mark Sanford and Bill Clinton and Anthony Weiner all lose their minds and become self-destructive?

Doctors-With-Couches can explain the compulsive behavioral issues, the power issues, the addiction and exhibitionist issues.  But at the end of the day Anthony Weiner has a sin issue.  Sin won't be dallied with because it wants to be master.  There's an old familiar phrase that comes to mind:  "sin will take you farther than you wanted to go, keep you longer than you wanted to stay, and cost you more than you wanted to pay".  That repeats the thought of the hymn words "I'd rather have Jesus than be the king of a vast domain or be held in sin's dread sway".  This Congressman underestimated the power of sin's dread sway.

Many years ago someone gave me an acrostic (SEE) that helps me remember that sin wants to keep me from seeing clearly.  Sin promises me S(satisfaction), E(excuse) and E(escape).  That acrostic helps me understand Anthony Weiner's humiliation.

Sin promised him satisfaction. "Wouldn't it be great to have a stringer of adoring women who are impressed with my brand?"  But the promised satisfaction was fleeting...and then required more and more rebooting.

Sin promised an excuse.  "This wasn't real sex."  "I'm connecting with my constituency and contributing to my popularity."  "It is hip and young to sext and send racy pictures."

Sin promised escape.  "Huma is away.  Besides, I've already told her some of this."  "I am powerful enough to slip the noose if I'm caught.  Or I'll blame the accuser."

Anthony Weiner is getting a WHOLE lot more exposure than he ever dreamed of, but now he's overexposed.  Who could take him seriously now?  He SAYS he is taking responsibility, but what responsibility does not have consequences?  Now it's uphill sledding for the Congressman because he is not trained to fall back on another profession and he doesn't want to quit.

Here are some reactions from the man on the street.  "It's his personal business and has nothing to do with his job".  "I support Rep. Weiner because he's done a good job for us."  "He will go away to some rehab and be cured."

1.  Nothing to do with his job?

First, there are pictures of him both in his office and in the Congressional bathroom, where he snapped pics of himself without clothing.  So he seems to have lost his vocational focus.

Then his requested job-leave certainly affects his work.

But infinitely more important, the question that I don't hear being asked is "what about how the risky behavior of this man could have affected our nation?".  He IS married to a woman who is the top aide to our Secretary of State.  Could there be possible opportunity for blackmail there from a foreign government?

Anthony Weiner does not have the option of corrupt personal business when he assumes the mantle of a public figure.

2.  Rep. Weiner has done a good job?  That does not deserve a dignified response.  The intensity of his abrasive personality does not lend itself well to a mercy plea.  Now he has lied in several ways.  His behavior lied in passive ways.  Then when caught, AW boldface lied about himself to the nation and was just about to involve the FBI in an investigation.  Then he purposefully damaged the truthteller's name by defamation of Breitbart's character.

3.  Will the Congressman get fixed?  Do people really think a man who has forty-six years of accumulated behaviors will go to rehab for a couple of months...and get straightened out?  Who ARE these people on the street?

This man should be on his face before the Lord, begging for forgiveness for the abject mess he has made.

But what a complicated situation!
Congressman Weiner is Jewish (although on his Wiki page, he says he did not come from a religious household), his wife is a devout Muslim, and Jesus is the answer.

There are MANY young people who regularly send suggestive emails and pictures; they do not see this behavior as problematic.  But the real question is what would God say?  Is sexting problematic?  We know that things with God are all about the heart.  He has said that if you look on a woman to lust for her, then you have committed adultery in your heart.  The Lord wants a pure heart and His standard is waaaay above what the world demands of Anthony Weiner.

So can the Congressman be forgiven?  Is God that good that He would offer His Son for a liar, a thief who stole a man's reputation, brought shame to his family, and could have compromised the nation's security?

Here's a little story to answer that question.  Back in the 50's there was a comic strip called "Dennis the Menace".  Dennis was a little tow-headed trike rider who could find trouble effortlessly.  He had a pal named Joey and an older couple who lived next-door, the Wilson's.  One day Dennis and Joey were leaving Mrs. Wilson's front steps with a cookie in hand.  Joey says "why does Mrs. Wilson think we deserve a cookie?"  Dennis replies "you got it wrong, Joey.  Its not that WE are so good, it's that Mrs. Wilson is so good."

God is all over the redemption page; He specializes in second chances.  He is that good.  His Son is the atonement Anthony Weiner needs...the Passover Lamb.  The Congressman still would have the horizontal consequences, but his vertical channel would be clear.  Sin prowls and seeks our demise, but we serve a loving Father who has made provision for sin.  And His patience waits for us to ask for Jesus' covering.

Yes, God IS good.  Hope your choice is to believe that, Anthony.  He loves you more than you could imagine. They say on the news you are now despondent about your situation, but brokenness can be a path.  Call out to Jesus.  That's why they call Him the Savior.

"God wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2.4