"virginity" vs. "God" on Grey's Anatomy

I've been a die-hard Grey's Anatomy fan from the jump... and I'm still a Christian (imagine that!).  If you're not familiar with the show, it's about a group of young doctors working their way up the ranks of their medical careers, along with all the drama that swirls around in their lives while they do this.  Honestly, I like the medical content more than anything else but the characters have sucked me in. And I blame Shonda Rhimes for that, but anyway...  Something specific in the episode that aired last week, Let the Bad Times Roll, seriously disturbed me so I decided to chop it up here.

One character, April Kepner, stands out from the rest [at least, she did, until last week] as the only virgin in the group of mostly promiscuous physicians.  She confessed this one or two seasons ago but I don't recall if she ever shared why she never had sex up to that point.  Welp, fast-forward to the present where all of the young doctors travel to take their board exams and--to make a long story short--April gets drunk, gets aggressive, and gets laid (by one of her colleagues).  To say that I was disappointed would be an understatement... not just at the fact that she gave it up so casually, but her [physical] demeanor right after the act was portrayed in a way that I found to be simply unrealistic.

I was pissed off enough up to that point, but when April is shown coming to grips with her actions the next day--of her board exam--she becomes completely hysterical... and then starts talkin' bout Jesus... something to the effect that she had remained a virgin because she loved Jesus and now that she is no longer one, Jesus no longer loved her.

Now let me make it clear--I fully understand the guilt and shame that comes with doing something sinful and feeling like you let God down.  My angst is directed towards the scriptwriter [once again, that would be Shonda Rhimes] for playing the "J card" now that April did something 'wrong', as opposed to mentioning April's Christian convictions from the jump.  And to add insult to injury, April later delves into a monologue in which she basically questions why she even had said convictions to begin with. *spoiler alert*  Finally, she discovers that she's the only doctor of the group to fail the boards.

April's end result said one thing to me--and possibly to other viewers, as well: God punished her [i.e. "no longer loved her"] for losing her virginity outside of marriage.  Am I saying that God doesn't exact consequences for breaking His rules?  Not at all.  Do I think that this obviously non-Christian TV show should have used this opportunity to show an example of God's grace and mercy?  Possibly.  But the major bone I have to pick here is that Jesus was used as the 'fall guy'.  He is wrongfully accused by April on account of her own guilty conscience, after which she essentially dismisses her faith in Him and then she fails the biggest exam of her life (and that's His fault too, obviously).  How convenient to leave the Lord out of the picture until things start going wrong and then highlight His ineptitude/vengeance.  Seriously...

Can I gloat...just a little??

Recently, I witnessed a rather unfortunate situation befall someone that I don't particularly care for.  This person did me wrong in the past and I felt that I had forgiven them--once I didn't have to come in contact with them, I was cool. That's what I liked to call the "love them from a distance" approach. The only problem with that technique is that it's conditional, and therefore not in line with the love chapter. But that's not the direction I'm going in today; rather, it's an offshoot of that thoroughfare. So try and follow me on this logic:

If I A.) say I'm a Christian, then I should must love my neighbor (i.e. all massive and crew; everybody and they cousin) as I love myself; because that is the greatest commandment. If I B.) love everyone like I love myself, I wouldn't be be happy when something bad happened to them because I wouldn't be happy if something bad happened to me. Ergo--it's a shame that I have to look for reasons to incorporate a dead language into my writing--C.) If I am a Christian, I shouldn't be happy when something bad happens to someone. Clear as mud, right? OK, moving right along...

But is there no way for me to feel justified that this person got what they deserved? In all honesty, they had it coming because I wasn't the only person they willfully wronged in this life. And it's not like I prayed to God for them to receive a nice, steaming pile of karma or even tried to take matters into my own hands. He already said that He's got it covered so all I had to do is sit back and watch. But could I rightfully enjoy what I was witnessing? I tried, but I couldn't find anything in the Word to support that notion (but if you know of any Scriptures that do, PLEASE let me know...no, seriously).

So, I'll just chalk it up to this: flesh.  Gloating would be one of many emotions inherent in humans as a result of our sinful nature that requires a good ol' cleansing. Looking to Jesus as the ultimate example of how we should act (as His disciples), He said we need to forgive a wrongdoer up to 77 times (and then some). And He didn't just say it--He did it... while dying on a cross! #streetcred  This makes me think that it's pretty much impossible to want to gloat over someone if I'm busy trying to forgive them, and even love them. *sigh*  At this point, I give up--no gloating for me.

I appreciate your bearing with me as I thought through this out loud. It's now obvious to me that gloating is simply a manifestation of unforgiveness, and that is NOT an option for a true child of God. After all, He forgave us first and not extending the same to our neighbors puts us in the same situation illustrated by the parable of the unmerciful servant. God forbid that be me (if it isn't already)! So I'll just pray for that person and their situation, as I have done already, that this would bring them to the Lord in salvation. And I'll also be sure to pray for God's grace to stop reveling in the suffering--no matter how well-deserved--of another.

Y'all, please pray for me on this one... I'm gonna need it!

Thanks, and be blessed!
pVI