Posted 11 December 2004
"TRUE LOVE
The past month has been an experience. I have had some of the most emotionally
draining moments of my entire life trying to find jobs; as well as some of my
most lethargic times sitting dazed on the couch. One such moment, which more
readily identifies with the second state of mind, came one recent afternoon as
I knelt over my movie collection and looked for something to entertain me. Now,
if you’ve ever seen the 1999 remake of Godzilla, you’ll know how bored
I must have been that day. But something struck me as I watched the huge reptile
tear into the side of buildings. Often times we, as Christians, are more
concerned with avoiding God’s wrath than doing his actual work.
A Christian man can walk down the street condemning religions and lifestyles,
but never even see the true work of a follower of Christ. Sometimes it seems
as though we attribute childish, whimsical qualities to our God. We assume
that God would rather have us focus our energy on converting, sometimes
forcefully, the world to our interpretations and personal beliefs, than
helping people who are less fortunate. In addition, it seems that sometimes
we would rather tell, than teach. We inform people what they should believe
instead of pointing them in directions that would allow them to reach their
own beliefs. I was walking with a friend recently on the Pearl Street Mall in
Boulder. We were only two guys walking, very heterosexually, down the street.
When a man sitting on a bench looked over at us and yelled out “Romans 12 says
[gays] are stupid” (he also used a much more vulgar term than “gays”).
What I haven’t told you is that in order to get to the bench that he was
sitting on, the man had to pass someone in need, no matter which end of the
street he came from. Situated on one end of the block was a small man, a father
of three, who was suffering from a degenerative skin disease similar to
leprosy, who was politely asking for change. On the other end of the block was
a woman in a wheelchair with no legs, a skinny dog sat patiently next to her.
She was offering a smile and a prayer in exchange for change. Whether or not
this man helped either of the individuals in need is unknown to me. My friend and
I had to get onto a dinner we were already late for. Either way, this man chose
to condemn my friend and I, who were not exhibiting any particular evidence
that would lead the man to believe we were lovers, rather than sustain and
encourage the people truly in need of Christian love.
So what is it that I take from this story? I, as was described, saw a man
pass up the opportunity to show Christian love; instead he chose to spread
religious intolerance. I believe that this kind of relationship to serving God
is the very thing that keeps people from participating in church. It is the very
thing that causes people to be “spiritual” rather than Christian. This man’s
inaccurate and somewhat perplexing interpretation of scripture, might have lead a
less experienced Christian seeker to give up. They might say “I love God, but how
can I grow closer to him when the people that claim to know him are so ill-mannered?” It cannot be through force and fear that hearts are brought to God. Threats and ultimatums are of no use. A person has to want to be better, a person has to wish to seek God; it is an active endeavor. We need to set a better example. We need to return to an attitude that has long since faded. Where love and support is at the forefront of a Christian life. Where we give more to not only our church, but also people who are less fortunate, whether they know Christ or not. By exemplifying a Christian life of love and support we can show the world that we know a God of love and care, a God that we do not fear because we are people that show our own love and care. By spreading compassion and support we will be better suited to inspire the hearts of others. Good luck being the people that can see where God’s love is needed.
Peace,
Ben Kendrick