Palestinian Man With Sling Shot Hits Me in The Heart

When I caught sight of this picture today, I assumed it was staged. A stranded man stands all alone atop a barren ground while he pulls back a sling shot and takes aim at an unknown object. A power line or cable of some sort stretches over his head and disappears into a wall of thick, black smoke  behind him. The lighting is perfect and the emotion is transferable. A photograph like this, I assumed, was the work of a sneaky photographer.

Nope. It wasn't staged. It is a Palestinian man preparing to hurl a rock at police officers during a clash between Muslim protesters and Israeli border patrol. The Kalandia checkpoint riot was incited by rumors among Palestinians that Jewish extremists were preparing to harm Muslim holy places.

There is so much that can be said here about Israeli / Palestinian relations. I would love to debate about which side each of you support and why. I would love to ask readers what plan they would propose in pursuit of peace in the Middle East. But this post isn't about that. Instead, I offer a lesson about gossip, the power of the tongue, and slander. 

Not long ago, a Google Alert notified me that my name popped up on an unfamiliar web site. I clicked on the link out of curiosity and discovered someone claiming I was working with someone I've never met to accomplish something I don't wholly support. It was a foolish accusation, but in a time when everyone is an "expert" and anyone can establish a global platform via the Internet, even misinformed voices can be damaging.

My brow furrowed and I began to get angry. "How can people get away with stuff like this," I asked myself. "I should sue that guy." I began to write an angry rebuttal in the comments section of the web page, and I had an atrocious thought: I am a hypocrite. I sometimes gossip and slander. I vent to people in that coy Christian way that makes the wickedness of my heart seem pious. The individual who slandered me likely said what he said because someone had given him false information and he believed it without verification. I've done that more times than I can count. Just like the Palestinian man in the picture above, I've found myself irritated by rumors or gossip, taking aim at others who might not deserve it.

Today, a stark picture of a far-off conflict revealed the hypocrisy, entitlement, and anger buried inside me. A Palestinian man flung a rock at Israeli police and hit me in the heart. What about you? Do you ever throw rocks based on unlikely assertions from third parties? Do you ever attack others for doing what you also do? Perhaps we'd do well to take the advice of the Apostle James: "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" (James 1:19, NIV).