"Do not rejoice at your enemy's misfortunes," a Hebrew proverb says, "but want the best for him."  Or God will bless him anyway.

    In this era of highly polarized political dialogue and disputation, avoiding what we might call Schadenfreude (taking pleasure in the misfortunes of those with whom we may disagree) is difficult.  However, it seems to be the only way forward.  We demean ourselves if we suppose our integrity to be ours, and ours alone.  There is always a bigger picture. 

    And we do not paint it.  Although it may be easy enough to say that, well, one day God will judge all things and hold everyone accountable for his or her deeds, I'm not sure this resolves the issue.  We do not live in the "later;" we live in the here and now.

    Yet unless there is a bigger picture--and a larger vision of newness--we have no business judging anyway.