Sunday, June 12, 2011

Simplicity of love


I'm beginning to realize something, doing this whole "Christian" thing.

I hear people talk about what we should be doing to impact more people,
to save more souls,
more lives.
To rescue those who are falling,
to help the widows
the orphans
the lonely.

What can we do?
and we sit around strategizing
and optimizing
and criticizing
and rectifying

and maybe the problem isn't that we don't know how to reach these lost ones
these broken ones.....

maybe the problem is is that we know exactly what we need to be doing.
Maybe we just
can't
do it.

Maybe we know that throwing a bible verse down isn't enough
that a prayer- though incredibly, incredibly impacting
will not always make someone want to run into God's arms

Maybe we know that it will take time
and relationship building
and sacrifice
to see that widow restored to joy
to see that orphan believe in himself
to see the low made high
and the broken made whole

maybe we know it takes community

But community- it's so hard, and so messy
getting close to people, getting vulnerable-
it will hurt.
Letting people in- giving them a chance to love and be loved-
it's terrifying.

Why risk it?

Well, maybe if we make our church more trendy
maybe if we sell more varieties of coffee
then people will come

But we know that's not true
no matter how much we deny it

we know what's needed for life change
we've experienced it-
we've experienced Him

Because we remember how God Himself
broke into the messiness of relationship
when He put on skin
and walked
through the pain
and grittiness
and ugliness of humanity.
We remember how He walked without wavering
without fear of rejection or judgement
to that place where He spread wide His arms,
opening them to all of humanity, saying,
"Come, have a relationship with me".

And we cannot deny this-
that God did it best.

He didn't save people with flashy churches
or impressive programs

He saved people by humbly, and unwaverlingly, loving us.
And all He asked in return is for us to do the same.

So maybe we do know what needs to be done.

It's just a matter of, well, doing it....

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