Yes, yes. Everyone knows. And here I go feeding into it, perpetuating the drama. Because of my beliefs, you may think you know what I may say. But please, keep reading.
Christians, if you call yourself one, what in the heck are we doing and saying in our response to this fiasco?
We're so quick to judge right back--in good intentions, I'm sure-- to defend the name of ourselves.
That's not our job.
Yes, I know. We don't want to look bad and turn people away and we want people to know we're not all that crazy, bible-beating Christian and we don't all agree with the pastor who said one wrong thing about one silly colored cup in one silly franchise.
But it absolutely infuriates me that we are still spending time on it. In our grumbling about the grumbling... In saying hey quit spending time on it, we're spending time on it! [Yes I'm fully aware that it seems I'm being slightly hypocritical but please keep reading]. If we spent half the time helping the poor as we did judging and condemning; posting and re-posting; tweeting and re-tweeting; getting frustrated and infuriated trying to defend the Christian name for the people who have slandered it... Y'all. There are real causes and real faces and real people with real needs who need real justice. The Christian name doesn't need defending. The widowed mother of 3 starving babies with no hope of a future needs defending.
Jesus wasn't concerned with defending his name. So many people hated his name. So dang many. And yet, Jesus put so much value on a name- ever notice that?
Ever noticed he never called his followers Christians?
Disciples.
"Christian" was a derogatory term. Created to make fun of followers of Jesus for trying to be "little Christs"-- an unattainable position.
I do not desire to be a Christian. One who holds themselves as high as Christ. No, rather, let me be a disciple. A learner. A follower. To sit at his feet, humbly soaking in all I can under Him.
Brother, sister, I beg you. Let us not use our words to fight. Let us not even use our words to love. Instead, let us love in action. Let us show the world what we believe and in whom we believe by what we DO, not what we say. Christ didn't just talk about how much he loved us-- he did something about it. It would be great if john 3:16 simply said "God so loved the world." But it is one of the all-time most quoted verses because of the remainder of it- the action that follows that love-- "For God so loved the world, THAT he gave his one and only son..."
He loved. Then he acted.
Friends, let us love. Mightily. Let us act. Swiftly. And not act by punching back on Facebook. Let's lift a hand. There's PLENTY of need. Just open your eyes. You don't need to go abroad. Yes, there's need there. There's need right in front of you- a neighbor needing a hand with groceries; a parent trying to wrestle 3 kids at once; a friend simply needing fingers locked, interwoven with theirs; a whispered "I'm here"; knees hitting concrete, hands opened wide.
There is need. And God created YOU to fill that need, Christian, disciple. He sent his son to die for you to have eternal life-- not to sit and tweet about that life. But to actually go out and have it.
Seeking a way to fight the need? Check out these amazing causes: www.a21.org ; www.refugeesewingsociety.com; www.safehouseoutreach.org; www. Belovedatlanta.org, www.Wellspring living.org, www.gatewayctr.org
Aaaand shameless plug for my amazing friend Grace's coffee company: www.firelightcoffee.com
