Social media is blowing up over the situation with the Gorilla Harambe and the small boy. I have read into the situation, watched the video and come to these conclusions:
1. I don't think the Gorilla was intending to harm the child.
2. Tranquilizing would have made the situation worse.
3. The only option was to shoot the Gorilla.
4. The zoo needs to come up with a safer display. (For real, though.)
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| http://www.stlzoo.org/animals/abouttheanimals/mammals/lemursmonkeysapes/westernlowlandgorilla/ |
Let me expound on that first one. I don't believe that Gorilla was TRYING to harm the child. But with a closer look, you realize that the child received a concussion from the experience. The Gorilla dragged the child many times. The Gorilla didn't know his own strength. Male silverback gorillas are a hundred times stronger than a child as well as an adult.
There were times it was looking as if it were trying to 'comfort' the child. I can't deny that fact. But I also can't deny that the Gorilla caused injury to the child. You can't erase what happened with the Gorilla's possible good intentions.
This is the same thing with life. People often try to justify our wrongdoings by saying that we 'only had the best of intentions'. When I was younger, I sometimes would get too rough playing with my sister. I didn't know my own strength. I would tell her and my parents that 'I didn't mean to' hurt her. My parents told me that they understood, but it still didn't change the fact that she got hurt. I still needed to learn to be more gentle.
When we stand before God one day, the 'good intentions' won't matter. A lie is still a lie. Adultery is still adultery. Sin is still sin. The 'good' intention won't change the consequence of the sin. It doesn't matter if the sin isn't "as bad as another sin". Sin is still sin in God's eyes. God never said that there was ever a situation where sin was okay. When we strive to see more how God sees sin, the more we understand how grave it is. (James 2:10.)
We will make mistakes. But when that happens, we need to admit to it, and repent of it. We need to stop doing that sin and change.
Sin is sin. It doesn't matter our intentions, as good as they may be. But as Romans 3:8-10 says, "Why not say, as some slanderously claim that we say, “Let us do evil that good may result?” Their condemnation is deserved!What then? Are we any better? Not at all. For we have already made the charge that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin. As it is written: 'There is no one righteous: not even one.'"
In the end, 'the wages of sin is death.' (Romans 6:23.) For a Christian, there is no place for spiritual compromises.
