Friday, September 24, 2010

Sometimes You Have to Climb a Tree

I was talking to my neighbor the other night and he was expressing his frustration with "southern Christian culture" - that Christians tend to drive nonbelievers away because we choose to condemn rather than embrace. And, he added, that mindset is the opposite of what the Christian faith really represents. Christ loved and associated with even the most base in society. He saw beyond sin to the heart and spent time in the presence of sinners without accusing or harboring bitterness toward them. He simply loved, and His love transformed the sinner, not a set of rules or a compelling argument. There were times when he was angry with corruption in the world, but his anger and correction was righteous because of disobedience to God, not because of personal pride. A lot of the animosity I see in believers toward those whose views or lifestyle differ from their own comes more from an attitude of "you should be living like me" than "I want to see your heart changed by the Gospel." (And I include myself in this observation because I've been guilty of it as well.)

My neighbor is not a Christian, so this impression has obviously impacted his decision on whether or not to pursue Christianity. He mentioned that he understands it's human nature to be "intracellular" and stick to who you know, what you know, and to have a hard time embracing what is outside your comfort zone, but it's the Christian's purpose to live differently. I could only agree that many Christians do come at the world with this condescending attitude and that it is the antithesis of what we're about. I told him one thing I really appreciate about my church is their heart and mission for people, and their determination to simply show God's love, not to primarily correct and convert. Sadly, I think this mentality is present in our churches. It's God's love that is transforming, not us - I am glad to be a part of a community that seeks to keep that in mind.

After I talked to him I remembered an insight JD shared the other week about the story of Zacchaeus. He was talking about the part where Zacchaeus climbs the tree to see Jesus as He passes by because he is "short of stature." JD pointed out (and this was only a side note, but it really stuck with me) that if Zacchaeus's only problem was that he was short of stature, he could have moved his way to the front of the crowd and stood in front of people since they could easily see over his head. No, he climbs to the top of the tree because he wouldn't dare push past people who consider him scum of society as a tax collector--they would never allow it. Up there, he can be away from people who criticize and hate him so he can have a better view. But Jesus didn't care about Zacchaeus's social standing. He walked up to the tree and said, "Zacchaeus, you come down!" (So the song goes...) And he walked with Zacchaeus back to his home to visit with him. The point here is that Zacchaeus was surrounded by ridicule and contempt from people who considered him a thief and a lowlier sinner than themselves, but he got away from them because he only wanted to see Jesus. Sometimes you have to put distance between yourself and those who can't see past sin so that you can see Him for who HE is. I genuinely believe there are Christians out there who earnestly live out the Gospel, and I hope to be able to help my neighbor see that too. I struggle to love like Christ loved Zacchaeus because of my own hard heart sometimes. But as a Christian, like this nonbeliever had to remind me, I am called to fight against that sinful human nature.

Let's make it so people don't have to climb a tree to see Jesus. And if they do...let's take our cues from Him, usher them down, and show them what Christ's love is all about.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Hope Floats

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. -Lamentations 3:22-23

The last post was a heap of discouragement and unrest, but you know what? A lot of people let me know they relate and find themselves going through the same thing. I really appreciated that, to know I'm not alone in those times, and it feels good to know I can be totally honest and vulnerable and you people don't judge me for it. I hope I can encourage you a little now too.

While at this time in my life I'm feeling weary of not being able to see or understand God's hand in certain areas, what I have been able to see more clearly is His character. It's funny how God can teach you things even when you're being pretty obstinately unteachable. At my age it has started to become more apparent how familiar feelings of defeat are to me. And maybe that sounds even more disheartening, but it has actually given me a lot of hope lately. Because never once has God forgotten about me when I've despaired. And depending on how you look at it, this valley is more like a mountain because I'm looking back over similar times from the past and seeing God's provision and grace through them. It's not that I couldn't reflect on God's goodness before in my life, but I do think it sinks in better in this season. I have more experience under my belt and God has proven Himself again and again. Call me thick-headed, but it's more comforting to me now than it has been before. As I think about it, times of worry, self-defeat, and apathy, are always followed by freedom from those things,  and renewal and hope. It's not because the circumstances are removed, but because God's mercies are new each day. And like so many times before, He gives me new eyes and a new heart to see the good of life. I'm so glad that along with struggle comes new insight and understanding.

In small group we're studying Daniel and I had an epiphany the other week. When the king sees the hand writing on the wall, the first people he calls to interpret its meaning are magicians and soothsayers, all of whom worship different gods despite the fact that God has proven Himself through Daniel many times. It's only when the king finally resorts to Daniel to interpret that he discovers the writing was an act of the God and He is trying to tell him something. That's when it dawned on me that if I'm not trusting and leaning on God, and truly casting my cares and believing Him...when I see Him at work in my life, I might completely miss it. I think there are some things God will do despite my stubbornness, like teaching me His character as He has the past few weeks. But if my heart is turned from Him and I'm totally self-absorbed like the king of Babylon, it's going to be really difficult to decipher God's hand. Like in any relationship, really knowing and seeking someone will allow you to more fully grasp their nature and recognize their characteristics.

I hope you don't hear me wrong and think I'm saying suddenly all my woes have vanished. Honestly, the things that were heavy on my heart the last time I wrote are still there. But I am saying that God gives me grace to see beyond those things and I'm thankful for it. That's all I really know right now. I always think of hope kind of like a balloon under water. You can push it down, but when you let go, it bounces right back up to the surface. (I don't know, maybe I got that from the movie...but I hope not because it seems pretty genius to me.) Maybe sometimes it's just about waiting and trusting that little balloon is going to come popping back up somewhere.