Wow! We surely are living in an exciting time. No matter what you believe the air is charged with electricity and everyone is being zapped with little pops. As hard as I try to stay away from the fray it is impossible to avoid the static entirely.
I turn off social media, but miss the antics of my great nieces and nephews, brothers and sisters. So I turn it on again, hide the most obnoxious posters from my feed and then my snail mail box has a ton of political ads. Blah. At least (and I'm knocking on wood) my email has yet to be inundated with unsolicited political advertisement.
Since this national political season has me completely dumbfounded I try to keep my remarks honorable and sparse, but enjoy noticing the folly/humor of the whole scenario. Once I got over the shell shock of our choices for president (let's just face it - our choices reflect our society) and settled in to ride the wave of off colored waters, I was able to reflect on what God has for me through all these happenstances. As a result, I'm bubbling over. I'd just like to release a bit of pressure in a way that hopefully won't be hurtful to anyone.
My first bubble: Straighten up.
So I was at a party this past weekend and was standing next to an adult who said to a tweenager, "Come back to [this class]. No, wait, you don't behave well enough. Start behaving and you can come back." How does that sit with you? Are you bubbling? You should be.
Friends, we have a responsibility to our future to be appropriate with our future. This was a near family relative speaking to a young adult-ish person (who may change their diaper one day). Please, when speaking to a child always remember they will be the ones in charge of your diaper one day. Be kind, be patient, be sweet, be soft, be humorous.
How I perceived that statement: You're not good enough for my group - straighten up then you'll be good enough. I've seen this in so many different aspects of life. This particular sentence was spoken about a secular activity, but I've also heard it applied to our spiritual life entirely too many times. "Jesus loves good little girls/boys." WRONG! Jesus loves me when I'm bad, though it makes him very sad.
Cliques are hurtful and exclusive. We are communal beings and even the most removed individual will go mad without community and seek to form a community including other beings. Why, exactly, do you thinks that our dogs and cats are now our "children" or "closer than family"? (Realize, please, that this statement is only a personal observation as I have lived with animals my entire life and am very fond of them as individuals.)
This adult communicated (in a sincere fashion), you have to meet certain criteria before you are welcome. Instead of being welcoming to people, there was an obstacle - immediately before the person even put a hand on the door. What was on the other side of the door will never be discovered because of the road block before this person. AND do you remember? Do you? What was it like to be a tweenager? Remember how uncertain and uncomfortable you were in your own skin? I shudder and despise those years. Do we need criticism? Yes. But let's give it in the form of instruction. Building one another up. I would have rather this adult try to remember their own behavior at that age, which let me tell you, there were mistakes made. Not everything needs to be pointed out and it certainly doesn't need to be done publicly to embarrass someone into compliance with our standard of morality.
Oh.....Now I'm feeling ranty....... So let me leave this person for a few moments and go to church.
I want so much to look more like Jesus everyday. How does this apply to our church? To people? Friends, it is impossible for us to ever straighten up enough to come to God. "All have gone astray." "All have fallen short." God knew this and yet still provided a way for us. "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Have you forgotten what it's like to be astray? Have you forgotten what it's like to be an unrepentant sinner?
When I was a child I remember one of my teachers asking one day in children's church, "If someone nasty, filthy, smelly walked into our church, what would you do?" I thoughtfully piped in with, "I'd go say hello.". My teacher smiled and said, "that's what we should do, but it'd be pretty hard." That lesson never left me in 30+ years. I never remember the event happening at that church or any other church until 3 years ago. My husband pastors a humble church in a rural town. One day, a man (who actually went to school with my husband) walked in (late), stumbled to the coffee table, served himself sloppily and found a seat by sitting down but falling to the floor after missing the chair. This man was a scrag. Nothing desirable in him, stunk, couldn't stand up straight and, by gum, he certainly couldn't tithe. What do you think happened? Our leadership discretely got up, while our pastor continued speaking helped the man up and got him situated with another cup of coffee and made him feel loved. That is the hands and feet and head and heart of Jesus - in life - in action.
Watch the obstacles you place in others' paths. Are they missing out on the fullness of blessing and peace and joy because you were trying to fix something about them yourperceive as a problem? What we see of another human being is surface level - even if we think we know everything - we don't; God weighs the matter of the heart and see the inmost being. Let the Holy Spirit do the work in someone's life through you.
Ask God right along with me:, "Lord, give me eyes to see people (young and old) the way you see them. Use me to be help in bringing them to you. Help me see the obstacles I've built for people and allow me to remove them to bring you glory. For the glory of your son, Jesus. Amen.
Peace, God bless.
