Dear Church,
I know times have changed. Things aren't as simple as they used to be. Right and wrong, believer and non-believer, it was easy right? But now things aren't quite as clear, times have changed, things seem a little more muddled than they were years ago don't they?
I feel you. I'm a pretty black and white person myself, I've always struggled to find any gray area in almost all areas of life. But times are changing and we must change also. I'm not saying that we forgo our faith. That is the one thing that we should never waiver on: our faith in Jesus and His love. Yet I have to wonder, what does that mean?
I think we answer that by answering a few questions. There are some that are easy to answer and easy to follow through with, as they should be. There are some that will make us uncomfortable, make us squirm a little in our seats, and question who and what we as a body of believers are. I think that's where we find change. That's where we find love, understanding, compassion, and being the true hands and feet of Christ.
So let me ask you:
*If I'm sick or in an accident, is it easy for you to pray for me? Are you willing to jump in and bring meals for my family? Are you willing to give me rides to therapy? I hope those are easy yeses for you, they should be.
*If I lose my job and my car, are you willing to pray for me? Are you willing to drive me around to apply for jobs and maybe take me to my first few weeks until I get back on my feet? Again, I hope these are easily answered yes.
*If I'm homeless, will you see me or will you see a person that "needs to get a job and stop doing drugs?" How out of your comfort zone are you willing to go for the dirty person on the street corner? This one is a little harder, but most of us would be willing to at least hand a couple of bucks out the window, right? Are you squirming a bit? I mean what exactly are they going to do with that money? I don't want them to use my money for more drugs...
*If my dad's an alcoholic or my mother leaves us, how do you treat me? Do you whisper about "that poor kid, how could he/she do that to them"? Do you pray? Do you reach out to my mom or dad, even if it's "not my place?" Or do you reach out to me and let me know that you're here and genuinely show me that I can trust you to support me?
*If life throws me some curveballs and I lose my way and find comfort in a pill bottle, will you give up on me? Or will you walk alongside me as I try to overcome my addiction? If we're truly the body of Christ you won't abandon me when I've lost myself.
*If you learned that I had an abortion when I was a teen, would you think less of me? Oh, that one's tough right, because I killed someone. But if you truly want to be the hands and feet, you'll show me that there's hope, that I'm not a lost cause because of a choice I made. You'll help me find hope in the future instead of despair and judgement in the past.
*If I struggle with anxiety or depression, will you offer to help me and support me the same way you would if I had broken my leg? Or would you tell me to "suck it up, we've all got it rough?" It's a silent issue and one that is easily judged, but as the body of Christ shouldn't we be reaching out in the same way we would a physical illness? Come alongside me, show me I'm not alone, not forgotten, and have value in this life. If I've forgotten it for myself, remind me through your love.
*Now the one that's going to make you squirm more than just a little, if my child decided that he or she was homosexual, would you love them? Would you love me? Or would you judge them as a "sinner" and wonder where I had gone wrong as a parent? Tougher question right? Because I mean the Bible tells us it's wrong. But isn't lying, stealing, lust, the list goes on and on also sinning? And isn't all sin just that in God's eyes? Why is this one the one we as Christians chose to hang our hat on? Why is this the line we've decided to cross? Are they suddenly less human? Is their life suddenly less valuable? If you've loved them their whole life and found out today they had a different sexual orientation why would that change your feelings? As Christ's body, we should love them where they are. Just as we would the addict, the lost, the broken. We don't have to agree to love.
Friends, I say all of this in love. Honestly, God has grown me over the years and softened my heart to all of these things. Oh it's hard. It's hard when you've always believed one way, but acknowledging that we need to change shows growth in our faith. It's not accepting a sin, it's loving the person. It's not allowing hate to divide and win. And that my friends is where we've fallen short time and time again. We've failed to love others regardless of what or where they are, we've created our own hierarchy of sin that somehow ignores any that we ourselves may have.
If we want to see a change in the world, we must be the change in the world. And it starts here, with love, compassion, understanding, and meeting others where they are without judgment. We grow when we're uncomfortable. We show intelligence when we can admit we've been doing it wrong and change our ways. Let's admit our wrong and grow in our discomfort to grow God's kingdom for generations to come. Let's squirm into action.
Love,
Holly
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