Duggar Family Wishes Josh Duggar A Happy Birthday, Jessa Seewald Gives Josh Best Gift Possible
Today is Josh Duggar’s 28th birthday. In 28 short years, Josh Duggar has managed to cause a stream of controversies for the conservative Christian family including a bombshell molestation scandal in which he admitted to molesting his sisters as a teen. After reportedly attending a Christian rehabilitation program, Josh fooled his family into believing that he had been healed. However, the troubles didn’t end for the Duggar son and eventually his marriage was put in jeopardy by an admitted addiction to pornography and admissions of infidelity. The result was Josh Duggar, once again, entering himself into a Christian rehabilitation program, this time for an extended stay away from the family.
Despite all the hardship, Josh’s parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, took to Facebook today to wish their oldest child a happy birthday and to inform fans that they believe Josh’s best days are ahead of him and that they are praying for his continued rehabilitation. However, it wasn’t just Jim Bob and Michelle that gave Josh a tribute on his birthday. His sister, Jessa Seewald, also used his birthday to pay tribute to her big brother through a blog post on grace and to remind everyone that we are all filthy sinners just like Josh.
Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar wished their oldest son Josh Duggar a happy birthday on Facebook today. The pair noted that despite all of the troubles he has faced in the past, and recently, it will never negate the joy they felt on the day of his birth, 28 years ago. The Duggars noted that Josh was special in that he was their first child and signifies the day they became parents. However, they used the birthday announcement to touch on Josh’s troubled past and present. The birthday announcement notes that the Duggars still love Josh and believe his best days are still ahead him. They also indicate that they are praying for him daily in his quest for recovery.
https://www.facebook.com/duggarfamilyofficial/posts/782373078563010
It wasn’t just Michelle and Jim Bob that used Josh’s birthday to wish their son a Happy Birthday. Numerous Duggar fan pages took to Facebook to wish the disgraced Duggar a happy birthday as well.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=931339046950464&id=886168164800886
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=980214185405840&id=291599004267365
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=971040589632132&id=232473033488895
Jessa Seewald gave a more cryptic shout-out to Josh for his birthday in the form of a blog post on the subject of grace. It is not a coincidence that Jessa chose to write on the subject of grace on her troubled brother’s day of birth. The Duggar daughter wrote a long post indicating that Josh has received grace despite his past transgressions. In fact, Jessa went so far as to push the idea that we are all worthless criminals that are unworthy of God’s grace, but receive it anyway.
To hit home this concept, Jessa provided a long analogy likening God to a car salesman (Josh used to be a car salesman) and everyday people as a drunken man passed out in front of the car lot after having bashed in all the car windows. Jessa first tells a story of a regular man walking by the dealership and receiving a free car for no apparent reason. She says this is how most people see God’s grace, a person, minding their own business doing nothing notable, receiving grace from God for no reason whatsoever. However, she says it goes deeper than that. Jessa says we, as humans, are more like a drunk man who spent the night bashing in car windows at the car lot before passing out in front of the lot with a baseball bat and bottle of vodka. She says God’s grace is more similar to the car salesman giving the criminal drunk a free car despite the man’s actions the night before, desecrating his car lot and business.
“This is the testimony of Scripture: you and I are not innocently strolling around this earth, minding our own business, before receiving a wonderfully kind gift from God. No – it is the exact opposite.”
With the post on grace coming on Josh Duggar’s birthday, it seems highly likely that Jessa was giving her brother the birthday gift of insight by letting him know that she forgives him and that he has God’s grace despite his transgressions in the past. The Duggar daughter was also likely attacking those who have criticized her brother as she points out in the blog post that we are all guilty of terrible crimes and unworthy of grace but receive it anyway.
What do you think about the Duggar’s acknowledging Josh Duggar on his birthday? Was it a good move considering a new season of Jill & Jessa: Counting On will be airing soon? Do you think Jessa was giving her brother a secret birthday message with her blog post on grace or was the blog post directly at those who have criticized Josh in the past?
[Image via Instagram]
