I sometimes think people run from the difficult questions. Like the rising waters of a tidal wave licking at our heels, we stay just far enough ahead of it so as to not get swallowed up but still convince ourselves we are still, somehow, coming face to face with reality.
Maybe we aren’t necessarily afraid of the question, but rather what the answer may reveal. To face that answer, to really evaluate it, means we can’t just simply ponder it and let it lie. Instead, we are compelled to take action.
I know there was a time in my life, where if I felt challenged, I would become defensive to the point of being judgmental. I’m learning that sometimes those tough questions are ones that the Lord uses to encourage growth. When we feel like we have all the answers, we can sometimes become stagnant in the way we approach the life God has given us. We are too comfortable, too complacent, and at times too prideful in our own self righteousness.
I am guilty.
I’m in the middle of reading Quaker Summer by Lisa Samson. She is one of my favorite authors because she’s not afraid to ruffle feathers and ask some pretty difficult questions regarding today’s Christian culture. This book is no different. In it, the main character comes to terms with how much of the Christian church in America has missed the point. At times slightly cynical but always searching, Heather Curridge is realizing that she, herself, has been a major contributer to the problem. Although I will wait to give a full review until I have finished the book, there is one question in the chapter I am reading that has really caught my attention.
“..So if we are not any morally different than the rest of the world, why do we think we’re so great, why do we think we have all the answers, why do we act like such know-it-alls? Shouldn’t our love for Jesus make a difference in our behavior?”
“I’d like to think so.”
“As far as I am concerned, all we have is hope. And if I’m honest, it’s probably all we’ve ever had that’s separated us from the rest of humanity. Isn’t that right?”
Ouch. Now you have to read this book so as not to take it out of context but this paragraph stopped me dead in my tracks. Is my hope the only thing that separates me from the rest of the world? Trust me; this isn’t about the moral high road that so many Christians use to argue “why I am a better Christian than so and so…” What I am getting at is this: Is the love of Jesus making a difference in my BEHAVIOR? Is it being demonstrated in everything I do? Is their an outward focus of it?
As Christians, many of us choose not to watch R-rated movies, and abstain from alcohol and cigarettes. We go to church three times a week, tithe, memorize scripture, and hold deep theological conversations with fellow believers. Now please believe me when I say these are good things that the Bible preaches in some sort or another. But if Jesus’ love isn’t being displayed in our behavior, aren’t we missing a really big part of the picture? Isn’t that what Jesus is all about? I hope people don’t think I’m talking about the kind of fluffy emotion that involves rainbows, puppies, and hippies frolicking through fields of daises =) I’m talking about the kind of love that causes drastic change in the way we see and treat others. A love so strong that Jesus thought it was worth dying for.
So ask yourself these questions. Mull it over. Ponder it. Dig deep and resist the temptation to run.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I love this! I have lots of time to sit and think (maybe too much...), and this is something that's made me really stop and analyze who I am and how I live more than a time or two. There are so many ways to approach it - do I devote one or two days a week to working with teens or the homeless and serving them the way Christ did in His ministry? Or is it enough to roll down my window, smile, and hand over that $5 bill in my ashtray to the man with the sign at the freeway entrance? Or perhaps it's more of a lifestyle. Maybe I need to be more conscience of how I act toward those I see every day - my family and coworkers.
Honestly, the only answer I have is what the Word tells me every single day: Love the Lord. Listen to His voice and submit to His correction. Follow where He leads you and don't stop for a moment to dwell on what has passed. Every morning is a new beginning, and you'll never know what He's planned for you unless you allow Him full access to your heart, mind, and dayplanner.
Post a Comment