We all take them.
We all have them.
We all are on one.
Life.
We've probably heard the phrase before, "Life isn't fair."
Praise be to God.
Our journey of life isn't fair.
No one's is.
It's the question, 'Why do bad things happen to good people?'
We wrestle with this idea when we are talking to other people about how good God is.
We wrestle with this idea when we look at God's promises of abundance, protection, and provision... and compare them to His promises of trouble, persecution, and his call to give away everything we have.
Tough issues.
Tough things to think about.
Tough to find answers.
Maybe the biggest issue though is when we wrestle with it in our own minds, about ourselves.
'Why are bad things happening to me?'
When the tables get turned... we want answers.
The call to wait on God, to trust that good will come out of all of the trouble in your own life isn't enough when it's us.
We don't see the daylight.
I thank God for the friends He has blessed me with. Because a few weeks ago, I was there. I'm still there.
Thinking to myself, 'God, why is my world crashing down around me?'
It's like a bad dream that is crashing down and that I won't wake up from.
I think we've all been there.
Places in our life where all we see is the dark tunnel, the desert, the cliff... sometimes we see all of them at once.
And we want to know why God is putting us through this turmoil.
Friends, pastors, and teachers will point us to Job... which is a fantastic story to meditate on... but it's not where I want to go with this post.
My question is actually many questions consisting of the attitude I see within the church these days.
Why do we assume we are good soil?
Why do we assume we have built our house on the rock?
Why do we assume we are good?
God's forgiveness, God's redemption... doesn't consist of just one act.
Justification isn't sanctification.
There's a reason Paul talks so much about perseverance, fighting the fight, running the race, working out our salvation with fear and trembling.
Fear and trembling?
I thought God was our Father, our lover, our shepherd? Why would we fear Him?
Because God is still a Holy and Righteous Creator and King... and we are un-holy, unrighteous, law breaking, created servants.
"Nothing lasts forever. No one is who they say they are. Love doesn't exist, its as plain and simple as that."
She's sixteen.
Now, while most would just pass over it thinking she is just having a bad day... This stopped me.
She claims to be a Christian.
She claims to know Christ, who does last forever.
She claims to know Christ, who is who He says He is.
She was created by a loving God.
And it's not as plain and simple as that.
What's wrong here?
God hasn't failed her.
The church has.
People have.
People who claim to know and serve and love Christ.
And she isn't an exception...
Not when shows like 'Teen Mom' and 'Jersey Shore' are some of the most popular shows on television.
Not when the most popular songs, on the charts have some of the most depressing lyrics ever written.
Something's wrong.
And it's been wrong for a long time... the only difference is that people are beginning to care.
I believe it begins at the basics... We no longer grasp who Christ really is.
We know longer WANT to grasp who Christ really is.
The church is selling Jesus as if He is a product.
'Come meet Jesus, He can redeem you, save you, heal you, be your best friend. He does all of these great things for you... yes you may have more trouble, more persecution, but stick close to Jesus, stay close to Him and it'll all be worth it. ALL you have to do is pray this prayer, come to church, stop doing this and stop doing that. Don't live that way anymore, and instead tithe and give to THIS church. Oh and don't forget to pray, and serve the church. You can have it all for this little bit of sacrifice.'
I can't sit in churches who proclaim this type of message anymore.
Jesus told us that people will see Him, see the change in His disciples by the way they love.
Love each other and love Him.
The brand of Christianity that has been created and sold, especially in advanced countries like the United States, has been watered down and has become a religion. Jesus wants us to love. Not be religiously astute.
He regularly called out the religiously astute.
He regularly condemned the religious attitude of His day.
The question I think we need to begin asking is not, 'Are you a Christian?' but rather, 'Do you love Jesus?'
Do we love Jesus?
Do we REALLY love HIM!?
Not what he can do for us, not even the aspect of Him saving us from ourselves, and our sin, and the devil, but rather who He is. He is God, the only God, our God.
By the grace given us, we can fall in love with Him. All of us. But it takes more than one simple prayer and getting rid of some things in our life.
We do all of those things in response to love, a powerful love within our relationship.
The church is not a business.
I hate when pastors and church staff call and treat the church as a business.
Jesus isn't a product to be bought and sold.
Jesus isn't a moral to ascribe to.
Jesus isn't a rent-a- God.
The church is a family. A family who needs adopted.
Jesus comes in and says, 'Do you know my Father? He's adopting you, you will be my family, my brothers, my sisters, He will be YOUR Father too.'
And some of us say, 'No, we will rather take what you can give us and we'll run off and do our own thing.'
And some of us say, 'Sure, we will work for you and continue to serve you and do all of these things for you... hoping for things in return.'
The parable of the Prodigal Son and his brother comes to life. Our lives.
The parable is a story of the church.
There are those of us who say, 'I need to go back, this isn't working out on my own.' And we come into the party that the Father throws for us and our brothers and sisters who also returned.
The Father runs out to greet us and bring us into the party.
There we meet Jesus who hugs us and loves us, He says to the Father, 'I love them, all of them. I know them, they are my family.'
The Father says, 'I love them too.'
Will our response be, 'I love you too.'?
So far I don't think it has been.
Not when people are believing that love doesn't exist.
Love needs to be evident. Shown. People need to see love emanating from the church. We need to stop being judgmental, stop selling Jesus, and start loving Him, beginning by loving each other, accepting each other. God has placed people in our lives to love.
Relationships, that's what Jesus did.
He built relationships with His disciples.
He spoke in a way that would drive people away unless they truly wanted to be His disciple, to truly know Him, and Him know them.
Jesus called us to Go into all of the world and make disciples of all nations... we start by building friendships with people. We love like Christ, we use the gifts the Holy Spirit has given us to start the conversations.
Are we ready to be relationship minded missionaries?
Christ minded missionaries?
Loving your neighbor across the street... loving the homeless man who sits on the street corner... loving the teen mom... loving the ex that broke your heart... loving the man who stole what wasn't his to take... loving the ones who never heard about Jesus... loving the ones who don't love you...
What if we gave love a chance?
Not just liking... not just giving of our time... not just starting a conversation or spending some time with out of guilt or demand... but having the spirit the will to love... to be patient with them, to always be kind, never envying what they may have, never boasting of what you may have, not being elite or feeling better than them because of pride, never dishonoring them, not trying to get something out of them for yourself, never getting angry for petty reasons, and not staying angry with them even for good reasons, always forgiving, not keeping a count of all of the good things you do and the bad ones they do. Love never delights in their suffering or misery, but weeps with them when they are weeping, mourning with those who are in mourning, and being happy with those who are happy. We need to always be protecting them and the things they tell us, always trusting their word and their motives, always hoping for the best for them, and always being there for them even when it's an inconvenience for you. Never fail them as long as it is up to you.
How revolutionary would Christianity become?
How much like Jesus would we start looking?
I say this from experience, my friends have been there and continue to be there for me in times of trouble and turmoil, and I try to be there for all of my friends as well.
God has definitely prepared me to start living this idea out.
God prepares all of us to live more like Him.
The question is: Are we ready?
Why do bad things happen to good people?
Why aren't loving things happening to bad people?
Love conquers all... even the worst evil.
Love covers all... even the worst circumstances.
Love remains... because God remains.
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." -1 Corinthians 13:13
