Why?
As I consider all the great things God made, it's left me wondering, "Why?" a lot. I mean, I can find a purpose in most everything, but some of the critters out there really make me wonder.
Like fleas: they bite things and survive on blood, leaving the critter to itch. What purpose do they serve? I can't see anything that is furthered by those annoying creatures! Does that mean there isn't one? Nope. However, it makes me wonder. Kind of like a spleen or any of the organs that can be removed without any harm being done...
Often we treat the church the same way: some people/parts are dispensable. It might not be a conscious thing, but we act as if some people really don't matter. Maybe it's how we dismiss them because they're annoying, maybe it's how we think of them because of failures in the past, or maybe it's a pride issue within us. No matter how it happens, it is quite often the case. Heck, even inside small groups that are supposed to be family, the same thought pattern exists. Why? Why can we not accept others as equals and relish them as important to the body of Christ as a whole regardless of their smell, looks, clothes, money (or lack thereof), etc.?
This question has been bugging me as this summer I watched one of our younger students transform. Normally, there'd have been some issues because of the annoying factor, but they never materialized. Instead, I became pleasantly surprised as their growth and maturity became much more evident, allowing them to be a part of the group without the snide comments that usually accompanied their presence. Why the sudden acceptance and befriending by some who had been harshest on this person? They hadn't changed, their outward persona did, and that allowed their total integration. Why did it take that? Why not accept them and love them as someone co-important and equal to any of the rest of us?
Because we as humans have an innate need to categorize and compare. It allows us to think we're better than others or no worse than XYZ. However, in God's economy, we're all equal. I am no worse than Mother Teresa yet no better than Adolf Hitler. We rebel against the thought, because it is so far removed from our everyday experience and human nature. But the acknowledgment that we are that person, same as everyone else is what should mark us, as followers of Christ, as totally and completely different. Have you realized who you are in God's economy yet? Or more importantly, do you live as though that were the case?
Like fleas: they bite things and survive on blood, leaving the critter to itch. What purpose do they serve? I can't see anything that is furthered by those annoying creatures! Does that mean there isn't one? Nope. However, it makes me wonder. Kind of like a spleen or any of the organs that can be removed without any harm being done...
Often we treat the church the same way: some people/parts are dispensable. It might not be a conscious thing, but we act as if some people really don't matter. Maybe it's how we dismiss them because they're annoying, maybe it's how we think of them because of failures in the past, or maybe it's a pride issue within us. No matter how it happens, it is quite often the case. Heck, even inside small groups that are supposed to be family, the same thought pattern exists. Why? Why can we not accept others as equals and relish them as important to the body of Christ as a whole regardless of their smell, looks, clothes, money (or lack thereof), etc.?
This question has been bugging me as this summer I watched one of our younger students transform. Normally, there'd have been some issues because of the annoying factor, but they never materialized. Instead, I became pleasantly surprised as their growth and maturity became much more evident, allowing them to be a part of the group without the snide comments that usually accompanied their presence. Why the sudden acceptance and befriending by some who had been harshest on this person? They hadn't changed, their outward persona did, and that allowed their total integration. Why did it take that? Why not accept them and love them as someone co-important and equal to any of the rest of us?
Because we as humans have an innate need to categorize and compare. It allows us to think we're better than others or no worse than XYZ. However, in God's economy, we're all equal. I am no worse than Mother Teresa yet no better than Adolf Hitler. We rebel against the thought, because it is so far removed from our everyday experience and human nature. But the acknowledgment that we are that person, same as everyone else is what should mark us, as followers of Christ, as totally and completely different. Have you realized who you are in God's economy yet? Or more importantly, do you live as though that were the case?
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