Dear God, your people suck!
I'm sure you are thinking; wow, she is bold and where is she going with this? Or, why would she say that, especially to God? God and I have very honest conversations on a daily basis. I figured I should be honest with him in how I feel because he already knows. These last few months have been tough, we’re currently in a pandemic and there is social unrest throughout the country. Everyone has an opinion about everything and if you do not agree with their perceived thoughts unbeknownst to you, they have secretly categorized you as their enemy. I wish I was referring to the world but these are proclaimed Christians. I’m not at all surprised by what happens in the world, it's only doing what it has done for centuries, divide, create confusion and chaos. What happens when the division, confusion and chaos infiltrates the church? The body of Christ loses power and territory because we are too busy fighting each other instead of our common enemy; the devil. I’m not going to lie, I have been caught up fighting the wrong battle only to realize that I started off with the right intentions but I became lost along the way.
During my prayer time with the Lord I was so frustrated and disappointed with Christians that I blurted out, “God, your people suck, I mean they really, really suck!” I sat there for a while in silence waiting for a response. I heard a gentle whisper say, “so what are you going to do differently so you don’t suck too?” I replied, “be a doer of your word.” I’m sure I sucked at times too, well I know I did. We all have our moments when we suck, it's impossible to please everyone, however, I want non-believers to be able to recognize that I am different from the world. I can’t stand out if I am acting just like the world. Somewhere we (me included) lost sight of what is truly important; loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. The first the greatest commandment of them all. And the second is love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:37-39. The commandment we struggle with the most is the second commandment.
Why is it so hard to love our neighbor as ourselves? I believe we have been preconditioned to only love people who look, dress, talk, act, believe like us. If we go to the same church we’ll definitely be besties, well, maybe. If you’re married like me, think like me, like wine and tacos like me we can totally hang out. You may even have to look like me; if not, I’ll say hi but we probably won’t do life together. When did churches turn into a members only country club? When did sitting in the right seat mingling with the popular people at church become more important than living a holy life and leading people to Christ? We’re more concerned with going to the next church social event instead of ministering to the community which is outside of the church walls. I am not saying attending church events and having friends is wrong, when it becomes the main thing instead of Christ it becomes an idol. I was guilty of this until the Holy Spirit tapped me on the shoulder and said “hey, what are you doing? Remember I am calling you into something new, don’t fall back into old habits.” I repented then continued to follow Christ.
I don’t want to suck as a Christian, I don’t want to dismiss someone because they think and look different from me. I don’t want to bully people into serving all in the name of the Lord. I don’t want to ignore a portion of the body of Christ who is hurting because I can't relate or refuse to stop and listen to understand. I don’t want to be in my flesh thinking the world revolves around me, focusing on my “me-nisitry” forgetting about the One who died for us all. Help us Lord to get back to the main thing and love the way you intended for us to love one another. We’re all made in the image of Christ, the moment we forget that is the moment we start advancing the kingdom of darkness. We’re not perfect, we all make mistakes, thank God his love, mercy and grace is new everyday. The moment we repent and ask for forgiveness we start clean. Let’s get back on track and not get sucked into distractions. Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus, studying his word and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us. Let’s pray for those who oppose us. The bible says in Matthew 5:43-44; “You have heard that it was, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemy. Pray for those who treat you badly.” God is doing something on the earth, we will miss it if our hearts are not postured correctly. Do yourself a favor and don't suck, be set apart, be the light and offer hope to this world who is desperately looking for a savior. We have a specific purpose within the body and our purpose will look different from our neighbor but this doesn’t mean it is less important. Pick back up your cross and walk in your God given purpose on purpose.