I’ve never seen a rock fight turn out well.

I was about five years old and the older boys were having a rock fight. They told me I couldn’t play for fear that I would get hurt, but I didn’t care - it just looked too exciting to pass up. And it was exciting, very exciting, right up until the moment that I got hit. I can see it to this very day, as the rock flew towards me - it was downright mesmerizing. I guess I just got to watching it sail towards me until it hit me smack dab in the middle of the head.

Bruce Heatie was his name, or it may have been his brother Kevin, that part is somewhat vague. I do remember when I got hit that he came running up to see if I was alright - but to no avail. I ran home, to Bruce’s home that is, to Bruce’s mother. Now, you may be wondering why I ran home to Bruce’s mom instead of my own mother, but if you are wondering that it’s because you were never a five year-old boy. You see, when a five year-old boy is hurt, the one who hurt him must suffer too.

So, I ran to Mrs. Heatie’s home and rang the door bell. When she opened the door she saw me crying, with Bruce behind me, fear in his eyes (ha, ha, ha), and me with a rising knot in the middle of my forehead. “Bruce hit me with a rock”, I cried, and then ran home to my mom, leaving Bruce to face the wrath of his mother.

In retrospect, I can see that tattling on Bruce for something that was really my fault was not very sporting, but it seemed like the thing to do at the time. Now that I am older I can see that my actions were immature, and you can see that my actions were immature, but what do you expect from a five year-old?

The sad thing is that we can see it now with our politicians: “The Republicans hit me with a rock”, the little Democrats cry. “No, the Democrats threw the rock first” the little Republicans cry. And… the nation suffers.

Sadder still is when Christians get to fighting. It’s usually over something minor, but it always seems important at the time. And… the church suffers. Maybe, when we get this way, whether politicians or brothers and sisters in Christ, we just need to grow up and learn the lesson that all five year-old boys have learned: Rock fights never turn out well.

Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone… John 8:7, RSV