Boneheadedness | Wayfarer

Chapter-a-Day Genesis 9

Then [Noah] cursed Canaan, the son of Ham: “May Canaan be cursed! May he be the lowest of servants to his relatives.” Genesis 9:25 (NLT)

The other day I wrote that God’s favor bestowed on Noah was not because Noah was so deserving. We see that come to fruition in today’s chapter as the post-flood story of Noah continues. Noah gets drunk, passes out naked in his tent, and amidst his hangover he ends up cursing his grandson, Canaan, to spite his son, Ham. “Nice. Well done,” I think to myself sarcastically. “Your grandson and his family have to live under a curse because of something you did and said in a drunken stupor. What a boneheaded thing to do.”

And yet, that’s just the point. People are people. We all do stupid, hurtful things in our lives and you can place me up to the front of the line of people with a track record of stupid stuff done. As much as I want to shake my head and point the finger of judgement at Noah, there are three more fingers on my hand pointing back at me. God has shown His love, grace, and favor to me just the same as He did with Noah – and I am no less of a bonehead.

Today, I am mindful of my own boneheadedness. As I head out to a day of meetings, dealing with co-workers, service workers, family members and drivers on the road – I am reminded of the undeserved favor that God has shown me, and to Noah. I think it’s appropriate to pass a little of that grace and favor forward to those I encounter in my day.