Gratitude Day 239

Tues., Mar. 26, 2019

Psalm 119:96 – To all perfection I see a limit, but your commands are boundless.

Dear Friends –

For the record, I am not a perfect Christian.

In the last 48-hours, I have been lazy, checked my personal e-mail while at work, withheld information from Hubby Rick and thought about things that really, I should have run right out of town. I have spoken negatively about someone else, told white lies, gossiped and portrayed myself more highly than I ought. I have withheld forgiveness, wanted to draw attention to myself unnecessarily and avoided helping someone that I had the opportunity to assist.

And these are just a few of the things I’m willing to share. The things I’m not sure I want everyone to know? Now that’s some good stuff.

I am not a perfect Christian … even though I’d like to think I am.

It’s not fun and it’s certainly not easy to admit our failures and shortcomings. It’s really more exciting to try and convince other people that we know it all, have seen it all and have an inside track to Jesus and God’s will for our lives.

I’m sorry to disappoint myself. But I am not a perfect Christian.

Regularly, I hear some person declaring that they have a clear vision of God’s view for this world. They are convinced they know how to interpret God’s commands for today. They feel their interpretation of scripture is more accurate than someone else’s. They profess, in God’s name, that they have an inside track of knowing and understanding how God desires to interact and be a part of our world and our faith today.

The funny thing about all these voices? All these declarations? Often, they are competing messages. Exact opposite messages. Contradictory messages. Rather than truly listening to each other, voices just get louder and louder, praying their voice will come out on top.

Friends – can we all just hit the “pause” button? Can we come to see that we are all not-so-perfect Christians? Can we stop talking down and over and around each other and simply love our neighbor, even if that neighbor is someone we really do not care for? Have a different view about life, faith and everything in-between?

The noise level is deafening. It’s become so loud and so frequent and so furious that the message is no longer the focus. It’s outsmarting someone else. Or making sure your voice is heard above all other voices. It’s deflecting the hurt and the pain by accusing and hurting someone else … rather than simply being able to say, “I am not a perfect Christian.”

It saddens my soul to see how Christians are treating each other. It discourages me … and a whole bunch of other people … from engaging with other Christians. It’s like the girl who showed up at prom in a hideously ugly outfit with her underwear showing though and no one had the courage to tell her what they could see. Instead, everyone just snickered at her and made fun of her.

Folks – I’m tired of us making fun of each other. It’s embarrassing to see us tear each other down and apart. In fact, it’s very unattractive. I hate to imagine all the energy that gets fed into all the wrong places. Energy that could do so many wonderful things if only directed towards truly loving God and loving our neighbor.

So, can we just pause our not-so-Christian lives and accept each other, warts and all? Can we decide loving each other is more important than being right? Can we slow down the rhetoric just long enough to see others and ourselves as we truly are: not-so-perfect Christians?

For God loving me as a not-so-perfect Christian, I am grateful.

Lord God – I imagine you laughing and shaking your head at how we, self-proclaimed Christians, have been treating each other. Can your Spirit please intervene and encourage us to pause all the unhealthy behavior towards each other? Help us to hear Jesus’ commands to focus our energy on loving God and loving our neighbors. Amen.

Blessings –

Dianne

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