Today's Rant
Wow, I hope this blog doesn't turn into a diary. I'm not into diaries but somehow I feel relieved to let out some of the stuff that is kicking around in my head. Often, as my life gets busy I find that I end up just dealing with whatever is most urgent and thoughts about bigger stuff get stuck in my head. This is why this blog is titled constipate relief. I plan to use it to take mental dumps and hopefully I will feel better.Last night I kinda took a mental dump while chatting with a friend on MSN. Let out some frustrations about some of the people around me and probably sounded like a self-righteous ass as I let down my guard and let out some of the stuff that is really floating around in my head. Sorry C. The truth is that I love these people and my problem isn't so much with them but it is with the stuff that all of us that have grown up in a church have been told all our lives.
This mental dump led to a hard time getting to sleep last night but before I go on with more thoughts I need to explain my problem. Here it is; as I have grown up in the church the unwritten attitude that seems to be communicated is that following Jesus will make my life easier. It seems that the church exists to ensure that being a Christian is as easy and comfortable as possible. What is communicated is that all I have to do is somehow convince my friends and neighbors to come to church with me and whatever program that they come to will convince them to enter a relationship with Jesus. If they won't come then, oh well, I tried.
I couldn't disagree more. As I read my bible I don't see anywhere that it says that Christianity will make my life easier. Actually, quite the opposite. When Jesus says in Luke 9:23 that we need to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily and follow Him, it doesn't sound like an invitation to a day at the spa. It sounds like an invitation to a tough life.
I admire athletes and their dedication to training and being better at their sport. One of my favorite words of wisdom comes from the boxer, Joe Fraser. He said, "The fighter who cheats on his road work in the dim light of the early morning will be found out under the bright lights in the ring." There are a lot of things that could be read into that but the point that sticks in my mind is that if we aren't dedicated to doing the tough stuff when no one is watching, we will be found out to be a fraud when the pressure is on.
Paul says something similar in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 when he talks about runners in a race going into strict training to run in order to win the prize. If this is what we are supposed to do then why do so many Christians live their lives trying not to notice that there is even a race going on? Why are so many Christians determined to hide away from where the race is by bunkering down in their church buildings and pretending that everything is ok? Why are the heroes of Christianity the people who take off to foreign countries to "reach the lost" or lead ministries within their church when they don't even know the name of the person living next door?
Now I know that if we told people that true Christianity was an invitation to a tougher life then it would lose it's market appeal. Who would be interested in an invitation to "deny yourself and take up your cross daily"? Who would be interested in a life that didn't offer short cuts to success or a quicker way to achieve their dream? Hmmm. It seemed to work for Jesus. He was never afraid to tell people the truth with love and the message that he communicated has lasted for 2000 years even though we seem to have diluted it to make it easier to swallow.
I guess this is a challenge to anyone who may stumble across it to forget about the easy Christianity that you have probably been told about and accept the challenge of what Christ was really calling us to. Love people...no matter how messy their lives may be. Don't accept a short cut or a 5 step plan to "reach the lost with the message of Jesus Christ". Go out and live your life as an example of who Jesus is and let your life be the message. Let your actions and who you are communicate that you have a relationship with Jesus Christ and that doesn't make your life easier but it does make your life purposeful. Deny yourself and take up your cross daily and follow Him no matter how tough that may be.
As I am probably the only person that will ever read this I am writing it as a challenge to myself. When I think about denying myself and accepting a life that is tough, often I wish that my thoughts would never have stumbled down this path. It's so much simpler to accept the easy Christianity that the church offers and I could actually feel good about it. I remember feeling like such a good Christian when I could help put on a fun event that people enjoyed. This understanding of a tough Christianity is a swift kick in the ego that keeps telling me that my life is all about me. Often I don't want it. I want to be self-sufficient. I don't want to have to trust God to supply my needs. Just give me a fat bank account and I'll be fine. People's lives are messy and I don't need their problems. I have enough of my own. If being a good Christian is sitting in the pew on Sunday morning, I can do that. The kids are taken care of in Sunday School and I can catch up on a little sleep that I missed to catch the late edition of SportsCentre. Works for me. But if I really love Jesus Christ as I claim to then I need to care about the things He cares about. That is a big part of showing love. Caring about the things the one you love cares about. Jesus died so that all the people He loves so much could enjoy a relationship with God. If I don't care about those people that He loves so much enough to get dirty and get into their messy lives then I'd better stop claiming to love Jesus because I really don't. I only love what I get from Him...not Him.
OK. My rant for today is done. Let's see what this messy life brings that is worth posting in the future.
D
posted by Dave @ 1:32 p.m.
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