How is it that I was dropped into the middle of a situation full of people who won't do what I want them to do, think the way I want them to think? they go right when I was certain they would go left, up when they clearly should have gone down? What's up with that!?
Then, some smart Alec in the Bible has the nerve to tell me that I'm supposed to love my neighbor as myself? Well if said neighbor was the enlightened individual that he or she should be, then that would be a cinch. But things being as they are, this has proven to be an impossible task for me.
But it's all still there! Honor your Father and Mother, they will know we are Christians by our love, turn the other cheek... What!? This all sounds well and good when I'm in my Sunday-go-to-meetin' clothes, I've just heard a great choir special, my hair's slicked back, got on my shiney shoes and my heart is right... But what about when reality slaps the livin' Sunday suit outta me!?
Say it's like... Thursday afternoon, the Sunday has all worn off by now and somebody does something that really pisses me off? Now I've read the whole Bible including the footnotes and have yet to find any exceptions to these commandments.
Even if you can find ten people to say that you are right and they are wrong. Even if you can find fifty! No loopholes.
So, that is where we live. In the real world. We are given an impossible task, and eternal damnation awaits us unless we can find a solution. GREAT.
Finally, here's the good news. Jesus. He already knows that we can't do it, so He did it for us. He bore our sin, took on our weakness, and made a way. What we have to do is admit that we can't save ourselves. Sound's easy, but that is the hardest part. We are SO smart, and we think around every corner we will find a new idea. Surely we can be perfectly independent? We sent people to the moon for goodness sakes! And all we really have to do is love our neighbor as our self? Surely we don't need help for that? Right?
Wrong.
2 comments:
I have SO been thinking about and dealing with this lately -- from several directions.
I have a college friend on FB who is a MINISTER. But every status he posts is what he is AGAINST -- mostly certain groups of people. And the only reason I haven't unfriended him is because it reminds me daily how NOT to be. :-/
Which leads me to the other direction: myself. How do I find it in myself to be loving to someone like that? I can love a crack addict, but I am having serious trouble with this one.
And in general, I had just thought that most people had come to an understanding. That we had all accepted our differences and grown out of all of this puffing up and thinking we're better than others ... just because we say so (or, frankly, that being better was even the goal to begin with). But then I encounter people that remind me that I am SOOO wrong about that. It's disappointing.
And those are the ones I have to *remember* to be loving to. Like you said, even if you get the whole world to agree with you, it doesn't matter. You are meant to be loving. "They will know we are Christians by our love." That's the key to it all, isn't it?? And it's a TOUGHY!!
Stacy - this post really struck me and I can relate! Your writing reminds me so much of this blog and Jim's books (you might want to consider reading them - they are enlightening). http://www.divinenobodies.com/blog/
I may have shared his work with you before, but I couldn't remember.
I don't think God wants us to try and fix people who continue to make bad decisions. I think he wants us to be a friend, offer the basics, but not lose ourselves in their drama. We have the right to say to our innerself "I don't have to nor do I want to own this sitauation and I can't be a conscience for anyone but my own self."
Tough love comes in many forms. We can only help people who (a) want to help themselves and (b) accept help. We continue to love and pray for them, but we don't lose ourselves in the process of trying to help them.
Sometimes the most we can do for people is pray for them. That has been a very hard lesson for me to learn, but it is my reality.
Thanks for the post and keep writing!
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