This comment came up at lunch today.  It always makes my ears perk up… because I hate it.  Allow me to explain why:

“It’s easier to ask forgiveness than for permission.”

Again, I feel intense and passionate dislike for this statement with every fiber of my being.

To this statement of preferring ease, I ask:  “At what cost?”

I can accept this thinking from children who are testing boundaries.  As parents, we learn how to work through this with our kids…and pray that we were brave enough to help them understand the longer-term repercussions of this type of thinking.

As a child, you have the excuse for your brain still developing. You may not truly understand how it affects the person to whose authority you have thwarted.

As adults, I will grant the consideration of believing that it is simply something you have not really considered there is a cost.

So let me get to the point.  As a Christian, this old adage is often used as a weapon.  Yes, forgiveness is a tenant of Christianity.  However, though I am commissioned to forgive you, I am not required to trust you.

With each offense in this arena, you risk hacking away at the cornerstone of trust that relationships are built upon.

Was it really worth the risk?