Before I put anything else down, let me be sure and say a few things I hope all of you keep in mind while reading this. First, I am not perfect. Second, neither are you. Third, this is just one man's opinions, which we are all entitled to. And finally, I don't know that I have always held the opinions I will write about, nor do I claim that I will always have them, as God is always able to teach us and grant us new insight and wisdom when we earnestly seek it.
I often think about life as a sequence of choices. We have the choice of who we hang out with, choosing good vs bad, choosing to live or not live for God, etc. For some, making these life choices is an easy process. For others, not so much. For some, choosing the right thing comes easy. Again, for others that can be a tough task.
No matter how we make our choices, there are certain truths that we all have in common and I think we often lose sight of. One of these truths is that God loves ALL of us. He didn't send Jesus to die for Christians only. Jesus didn't spend his ministry at pot luck meals and committee meetings with his fellow believers. He lived among all people and loved all people. He spoke a consistent message and was true to himself, his heart, and his purpose.
This week the whole Chic Fil A thing just about wore me out. I think standing firm in what you believe is a great thing. I have had many times in my life I wish I would have done a better job of that. Where it starts to concern me is when we stop looking at our hearts and neglect to ask God what our part is in something. It is one thing to support a business, but it is a complete other thing to act in a way that makes others not want to know more about you and what you stand for if that is the purpose you are living and standing for. I will be the first to say that biblically homosexuality is a sin and I don't personally support same-sex marriage. What I mean by support is that it is not something I would teach my children to do based off of what I believe is right according to my time spent seeking God's help and wisdom as I move forward in my life. At the same time, I sin daily, and just because most of us like watching others and seeing their flaws as oppossed to focusing on where we need to shore our own lives up doesn't make us right. Just as Jesus lived fulfilling his purpose, we are called to live ours out as well. I just think sometimes we can do a better job of standing for our personal and collective beliefs and still be lovers of people. Remember, Jesus loves the sinner, just not the sin. We can still be respectors of people even if we don't agree with them. There is just no room in this life to live in total and constant selfishness.
Another truth we forget is the fact that none of us are perfect. We ALL fall short in our daily living somehow and someway. And truth be told, that is ok! Instead of writing all of my thoughts down, I think it might be easier for all of our self-evaluation to answer the following questions in our head:
Would you want God to show you the same measure of grace, mercy, and forgiveness that you consistently choose to show others?
How comfortable would you be allowing and giving the people that you judge and won't forgive full access to your daily thoughts and actions?
Do you analyze your errors in life so that you can choose to grow and overcome them as oppossed to repeat them?
At the end of the day, we all can be quite hypocritical, myself included. But the only reason that is ever drawn into light is because we focus on judgement and right vs wrong as oppossed to living under grace, forgiveness, restoration, and love. If we are living focused on our own lives and putting our thoughts and efforts into being our best in this life, then where is the time for us to sit and focus on other peoples' lives? The only way that can be a focus is if you have stopped giving your heart and attitude to the things that God tells us really matter. That would then be a YOU problem, not a me problem. I can only control my own heart and attitude. Same thing holds true for each and every one of us.
Father, thank you for your word and for your truth. Thank you for forgiveness and grace. Thank you for showing us undeserved mercy. Your love and wisdom are a gift, and I am thankful for them. Forgive me for where I have failed you, Lord. Forgive me for where I have failed to show you and your son to others as well. I pray that you would illuminate and purify my heart so that all might ultimately see Jesus inside of it, and that my daily actions would be a constant reflection of that. Mold me into the best man, husband, father, and friend that I can be. Fill my heart and mind with your word. I pray for your wisdom in my life. I pray for your wisdom for my wife and all of our children. Let me see others as you see them and treat others just as you would, even when my selfish and sinful self doesn't want to. At the same time, let them see my heart. You are so beautiful and wonderful, and I am so thankful to know you, God. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for hearing me. Most of all, thank you for Jesus Christ. Amen.
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