Stories, parables, sharing our testimonies are very common in the Christian Church. Naturally the stories of great redemption, those that fell, danced in the darkness so to speak but got rescued, these are the stories we love to hear. We listen to them and are thankful that their lives are different now. The main actor in these stories is like a testament to God’s grace. BUT, what happens to a person who is in the church already, falls, and makes unpopular decisions. It’s not dancing with Ghosts from their past but maybe fighting demons in the here and now.
This is where Christians, who are “Christ-like”, those who claim that Christ is Lord of their life and they follow “The Way” laid out to us in the Bible, it is this very common breed of the modern day Christian that a wounded follower is ousted. I have made some really BAD choices in life , yet in this point of the story those who are Christians usually:
1. Pull Away
2. Ignore that person completely (ie. Fear of their own reputation from their association with this person, lack of forgiveness will-power, etc)
3. Hurt back (ie. Spread through the Christian culture, Gossip is very common)
4. Criticize the things in the person life, even long after the damage was done
When carrying a warm heart and wishing to extend an olive branch, it become very painfully aware that those involved in Church are the least likely to reach out and accept that branch. In fact, too common the response is silence. One person is asking for forgiveness and asking for conversation to perhaps rebuild the burnt bridges, there driving force is their faith in God to be restorer, rebuild of lives. Yet those who are being reached out too chose just to ignore or point out the severity of the wrong, despite how much time has past, and refuse all meaningful conversation that could lead to reconciliation. They too feel justified by their actions with their faith in God because they didn’t make that mistake or at least at that time. How can God be stirring the heart of one person to admitting their mistakes and asking for forgiveness and to restore a friendship and at the same time be so involved in the other person life and yet they take the olive branch, torch it and throw it back.
One day recently, I got on facebook, myspace and read statuses and blogs of those who have refused all conversation with me. I saw a recurring pattern, status and post all the way down, spoke of how much love they have for the lost, how amazing God is in their own life, the love they experience at their Church. How amazing is God’s grace. So I chose to write to a few of them, I got no response. I’m the type of person that can handle brutal honesty, they can let it all out and I can take it but I can’t take silence. No word is much more painful than many words.
How metaphoric that Jesus spoke to a Samaritan prostitute, the lowest you can get for Jewish culture, had a conversation that changed that woman’s life, yet a Christian family and friends refuse to have a conversation with their “own kind”. A believer who either had fallen or is currently still in that period. How sad that we forget our lives are a storyarc of many dimensions and we focus on pitfalls of ACT 345 when their lives are currently writing ACT 594.
How sad we can travel the world as a Christian group, speaker, etc to show the light of Jesus to a lost generation when there is one person reaching out saying hey I’m sorry, I know I made your life hard, please find it in your heart to forgive me for that. I love you still. Your response is a quick delete of that message or a message back threatening they will tell so and so unless you leave them alone. We accept non-believers with open arms even if they are in amidst of their struggle and exile current believers when they encounter a struggle. Does anyone else find the irony amongst Christians today and their actions? We have become modern day Pharisees, protecting our own agenda’s, reputations at all cost, the doors of church are open and we are there, yet our hearts are far from open and desire to understand. We may have only Christian friends, family and ignore or cut off those who aren’t in the way. Logically that’s what Jesus would have done. He disagreed with someone and he would throw the scrolls at them and never speak to them again. Right? That’s what the Bible tells us. Isn’t it? Wait, even after people killed him, spoke against him, he didn’t come back from the dead with vengeance, the crazy thing is, no one extended an olive branch to him afterwards and he ignores them. In fact, he loved them despite no actions of the guilty party.
What an amazing Grace Jesus showed us then and continues to show us. To know how amazing Grace feels, it takes being the wretch at least once. To be found by God, means you had to be lost. Just a song but so true, does God’s grace melt you each time, knowing exactly what you have been forgiven of. Does an outpouring of love come out of you when you receive forgiveness and grace when you know you didn’t deserve it.
"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.
Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace."
We hold the text of faith high yet we forget the soul. We forget that a penny given from a homeless poverty stricken person is greater than a dollar from a rich person. We become literal, logical Christians, losing the soul, depth, the color of our faith, the diversity of our experiences and those in other people.
Have you forgotten your story? The epic journey of falls, damaged relationships that were restored by the grace of God, the people you tried to get forgiveness from, some who may not to this day forgive you. Have you accept God’s grace and mercy in your own life but failed to extend it. I’m thankful for my story, sure it wasn’t pretty and sometimes I was running in a meadow of more thorns then roses but it makes you stronger and thankful for what you do have. Without it, I wouldn’t be where I am today and I’m thankful for that story, despite regretting some of the chapters. Do you still remember your story? Are you thankful for it?
Are You Thankful For Your Story?
A Personal Happy Thanksgiving
https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=d6ce5271eadb386986543e121b19cd709f8656e2795169c12
I wanted to try this new iPhone app out, from my phone to all the social networks. Happy Thanksgiving :)
River Dance
I see them downtown this Sunday at 6:30, expensive to see them but its going to be worth being so close.
Radius Earphones
Check out this review by Tommy Bailey at Collision Media in Oklahoma City as well as many more on google.com
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