Friday, June 29, 2012

We All Let Each Other Down

Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. -- John 2:23-24

Someone has almost certainly let you down. Maybe you’ve been lied to or misled. Maybe you counted on a friend to be there when you were sick or someone hurt your feelings or didn’t do enough or care enough or give you enough time. Whatever it was, you ended up unhappy and feeling rejected.

And, you know what? Someone else could say all those things about you. Because we let people down just like they let us down. Nobody can always do and say the right thing. And nobody can always be there when we need something or someone. It’s just that simple and that complicated.

It’s always interesting to remember in this age of Facebook friends and twitter followers that Jesus let only a few people close to Him. Jesus had thousands who followed Him, but He chose 12 to closely teach. That should tell us something.

We laugh about that 15 minutes of fame, but it’s just so true. One minute someone is your dearest friend and the next minute that same person is gossiping behind your back. Friend or foe? Sometimes it’s really difficult to tell the difference.

Most of us want to be good people. We want to be good friends. It’s just that we get so caught up in ourselves and what we want and what we think is best for us, that we neglect the wants and needs of others. We forget to love people first and put everything else behind that.

Not long ago I heard a radio minister telling a story about a man who just had to see the minister right that minute. The man had been going through some things and suddenly it all made sense. The minister wasn’t available but suggested that there were two other pastors available to speak with him. They wouldn’t do.

The man waited for the minister as he headed out the door, insisting again that he had to speak with him. The man couldn’t believe that anything else could be more important than his needs in that moment.

Ah, but there was. The minister’s son had a ballgame and he’d promised to be there. As the minister explained to the man, other pastors could counsel with him but his son only had one father and he was going to the game.

Life sometimes comes down to choices. Sometimes those choices hurt one person in order to please another. And sometimes we’re just selfish and thoughtless and we just don’t have a clue.

We let each other down. Jesus knew and expected it. We should learn from that. It won’t erase the hurt but it will help us understand and forgive.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Open Your Mind And Your Heart

But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew what people were really like. No one needed to tell him about human nature. -- John 2:24-25

Young adults pull away from the church. It’s something we’ve all know for a while now. Part of that is just the natural progression of trying new things and moving away from the parental norms. Part of that is the old-school church members who are too set in their ways to see that things are changing.

Please understand that I’m not suggesting we ignore key points of the Bible. I’m not saying that we look the other way when obvious sin is involved. I’m merely stating what should be obvious: We are all sinners. We need to stop looking down our noses at young people who are finding their own way.

I remain shocked at the people who still don’t think of contemporary church services as “real” church. They put down those services, and the people who attend them, as somehow being less committed to Jesus. I’ve always believed God judges us by our hearts and not by the type of music we listen to. That’s what the Bible says.

These same people get offended when young adults, or teenagers for that matter, don’t want to attend church because it’s “boring.” These are the same people who snooze during the sermon. In this age of instant gratification, hearing a speaker repeat himself several times -- the old style of preaching -- is boring. Admit it. Everyone will pay more attention to a short, to the point, talk than to an hour-long marathon that says the same thing over and over again.

Researchers also found that young people feel “judged” by church members when they make mistakes. Well, they are. While some Christians acknowledge that all of us make mistakes, others like to see themselves as better than others. I could name quite a few without hesitation. Nobody wants someone to rub their noses into their mistakes. And nobody wants someone to keep bringing those mistakes up again and again. God puts our sins behind His back when we repent and change our ways. Why can’t everyone else?

The saddest thing about all this is that this age group desperately needs the guiding hand and instruction that comes from a church family. They need to feel loved and accepted no matter what else is going on in their lives. They need to know that God loves them, that He’s holding on to them, that He’s there for them no matter what. How can we show them that when we are pushing them away with our outdated and condescending attitudes?

Jesus welcomed everyone to Him. He called the tax collectors and fishermen, the prostitutes and the poor. He loved and forgave. He healed and offered wisdom to those seeking a different way. He never turned anyone away. So why do we think it’s okay to push away young people with our self-righteous attitudes?

So check your attitude at the door. Talk to a young adult and listen, really listen, to what they have to say. Consider something new. Try doing things a different way. You might actually enjoy yourself and learn a little bit not only about yourself but about Jesus too.