I used to take one glance at people and categorize them. If they looked like they might do bad things they were on my avoid list. If they used language that I deemed off color, they made the avoid list. Those guys with the long hair & tattoos, the girls whose clothing left little to the imagination, the smokers & drinkers all definitely made the avoid list. I grew up this way. If people can't have all their moral ducks in a row, "we won't have anything to do with them". If they were "messy" we might catch their "cooties". It might be contagious.
When I saw such people and had a sick feeling inside. I felt that somehow their "immorality" projected it's darkness into my soul. I'm not what I was afraid of but I feared them. I can't seem to find words to express how I felt. I guess condemnation might sum it up. These people weren't worthy. I hoped that some how they would simply go away because surely God wouldn't waste his time with these people who, in my opinion, obviously hated God.
Things change. On further review of the bible I noticed that my attitudes were in direct opposition to Jesus'. Jesus (God walking on earth) hung out with those people whose lives were messy. He wasn't afraid of them. He didn't get a sick feeling or fear these. He loved them. He didn't philosophize love. He did it. He went to their houses and ate with them. I imaging he listened to their stories and laughed with them. When they shared their sad stories he felt their pain. He healed people with messy lives.
This truth about God has changed me. I see messy lives and I see people. I see people God loves. I see people I want to eat lunch with, have coffee with, go mountain biking with, have over to my house, go over to their house, drink a beer with, and watch the game with. It's fun. I'm not in charge of fixing messy lives. Only God can do that. I just get to live my life with the people. I'm kinda messy too.
I thank God for true grace & for changing a messy religious nut - ME.
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