March 23, 2018

Focus On What’s Important

But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. – Titus 3:9

I wasn’t raised in the church. I have few memories of the days when we attended a little country church. By the time I was in school, we’d stopped going to church at all. I was in college before I found my way back.

It happens. I’m grateful that while I lost God for a while, He never lost me. But here’s the thing: I never learned all those little songs that teach children the books of the Bible – in order. I learned the Ten Commandments, Psalm 100 and Psalm 23 in school.

It placed me at a disadvantage, though I didn’t know that until I attended a church not too far from where I grew up. I found other women looking down at me because I didn’t “know” all they knew. I learned to keep my mouth shut. Not that it mattered. Because nothing I said would be taken seriously. After all, I was surrounded by people who had attended church all their lives. They had all the answers. Or so they thought.

God had a different lesson for me. As I grew stronger in my life, as I read and studied, both in Bible studies and alone, I came to know more and more. I will never know all I seek to know. My heart is hungry for Him. I hope it always will be.

But what I found is that while I moved forward in faith, the other ladies were simply content to rest in the knowledge they’d gained as children. There were a few who sometimes attended Bible studies. Most had the attitude that they were “retired” and had no need for such things.

I began noticing how they lived. God pointed out that sometimes “prayer requests” were just a sanctioned way to gossip. Did we really need to know all the details? No. The joke was that if you wanted to know what was going on in the community, just go to church. Except that truth was so sad.

I also noticed the upturned noses when someone showed up that wasn’t “appropriately” dressed. They frowned on jeans, for example. There seemed to be no gratitude that two long rows were filled with teenagers. Weren’t they happy about that?

They were always quick to complain. The politics of the church were almost comical. They’ve been through a lot of pastors because not one of them was ever perfect enough to suit their needs. They can be mean to outsiders, refusing to help anyone in the community who isn’t one of their own.

I don’t mean to pick on this church. There are way too many just like them. Some of the members lament society and how far our standards have fallen. They’d never consider themselves to be part of the problem.

We get so caught up with things that aren’t important that we miss what’s right in front of us. Do you love Jesus? Do you accept Him as Lord and Savior? Are you trying to live right and do good to others, whether you like them or not? Do you extend a helping hand, a kind word, maybe a meal, along with a dose of grace and mercy?

The world has way too many judges and not enough workers in the kingdom of God. Cleanse your own heart and trust God to take care of the rest.