April 19, 2016

Stop Pointing Fingers

"If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand." -- Mark 3:25

For those who haven’t noticed, we’re having a fairly heated presidential race in this country. It’s particularly interesting to see Republicans -- typically the “Christian” party -- struggle. They may be about to have a candidate that doesn’t meet their standards. Oops!

It’s funny how that happens. When they were so busy fighting, with a gazillion candidates vying to be the one, another man stepped to the front of the line. By the time they realized it, well, it might be too late.

It’s what happens when a house is so focused on defeating itself that it’s not paying attention. Like us. Christians.

We’re good at fighting amongst ourselves. One of our biggest battles: Do you sprinkle or dunk when you baptize? Like it really matters. Because it doesn’t. What matters is the heart. Is your heart focused on Jesus or on rules?

Other issues -- serious issues -- divide us. Abortion. The death penalty. Homosexuality. All controversial issues. And when we are fighting over these issues we forget that we are to love one another. When we are disagreeing, we forget that we are all sinners and should love the person regardless of the sin.

It’s amazing that others -- those who aren’t Christians even though they may check that box -- can say what we don’t believe in. But they can’t always say what we do believe in. Sad that we are known for hate and polarization rather than for love and compassion.

We forget that as we are shaking our judgmental fingers at the unemployed, that it could be us one day. We assume laziness without ever knowing the story. Another judgment we aren’t qualified to make.

We’d send all the immigrants back. Did they break the law? Some did. Was that right? Absolutely not. Were our ancestors once immigrants? Unless you are full-blood American Indian, yes. Where is our compassion? It sure isn’t evident, even though the Bible tells us to remember that we once were strangers in a strange land.

As Christians, we are to be Jesus to a hurting world. We’re not. We are hard-nosed hypocrites so caught up in our own opinions that we can’t offer the love and compassion Jesus freely offers us. Then we wonder why our nation has fallen away from what we claim are our core values.

Yes, we need to pray for our nation. And we need to stop pointing fingers and change ourselves to be more like Jesus, trusting Him to take care of the rest.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Families Are Bound By Love

“Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.

Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” -- Mark 3:33-35

He was dressed in a Sunday suit, standing by the casket and greeting people. Her son and daughter-in-law mingled with the mourners. Her grandchildren were spotted around the room.

Except he wasn’t related to her at all. Not in the normal way. He wasn’t her husband or brother or son. And he wasn’t a boyfriend or housemate. He was a friend, a companion, someone to share the lonely days of old age with.

She was 92 when she went home to be with Jesus. She’d been a lifeline for him when he’d moved into the apartment across the breezeway five years before. He’d suffered the loss of his wife barely a year before the move. They’d had no children and he was all alone.

She’d followed her grandchildren to a town far from her home, only to have two of them move elsewhere. The remaining grandchild visited once every week or so. And there she was, no friends, no extended family, nobody to share her days with.

God knew what He was doing when He moved two lonely souls across from each other. Their friendship flourished. They attended the same church but she had never gotten involved in the social activities. He changed that and she was welcomed wherever they went. She gained friendships and her life filled up with laughter.

Slowly her body began to decline and she gave in to the pain. She stayed home most of the time because it just hurt too bad to walk. But he didn’t abandon her. They spent long hours, he in one recliner and she in the other, talking and passing the time. Friends sometimes are more comfortable than family.

He was with her when she became ill and convinced her to press the Life Alert button her son had insisted she wear. Her granddaughter met them at the hospital and the doctor performed emergency surgery. She never recovered and died less than two weeks later.

Her family listed him in the obituary, as they rightly should have. He wasn’t family by blood or marriage but he was family just the same. He’d loved her just as she’d loved him. Friends. Companions. Family.