Finding Pleasure in Others’ Failures
The recent Coldplay concert incident—where coworkers were caught cheating on the big screen—sparked a wildfire of mockery, indignation, and finger-pointing. I’ll admit, I joined in. I laughed at the memes, shared the jokes, and silently judged. There’s something disturbingly satisfying about watching someone else stumble.
If you’re brave enough to admit it, maybe you feel the same. Seeing another person’s failure takes the pressure off our own shortcomings. Their sins, their missteps, their wandering from God somehow make us feel a little more righteous. We don’t have to confront the skeletons in our own closets—closets that, if we’re honest, hold more than we’d ever want the world to see.
Why is it so easy to ridicule? It’s the ego at work. It whispers, “Look at them. They’re bad. I’m good.” But life—and faith—isn’t that simple. I know I need to do better. I need to stop taking pleasure in others’ failures. Because when I judge someone else, I have to ask myself, Am I sinless? Am I truly walking as a man of God when I cast stones at another?
Jesus said it plainly:
“Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone.” – John 8:7
Today, I’ll practice what I preach. I will resist the temptation to judge and instead offer what this world desperately needs—grace, forgiveness, and peace. Even when someone’s indiscretion becomes public fodder, I’ll choose prayer over ridicule.
Because we all sin. And if you’re honest, there are probably moments in your life you’d never want broadcast on the “live cam” of the world. I know I have mine. So, I’ll hand the rock back to Jesus. I’ll ask for forgiveness for my own wrongs and leave the judging to God. My responsibility is to keep my own side of the street clean.
Prayer:
Lord, soften my heart and quiet my ego. Help me see others through Your eyes, with compassion instead of judgment. Remind me of my own need for grace, so I may freely extend it to those who fall. Keep me humble, keep me kind, and teach me to forgive as You forgive me. Amen.
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” – Matthew 7:1–2
