Mean

I skipped a week. I know, I'm so sorry. But to make up for it, this week's post has a video!

Taylor Swift - "Mean" from Taylor Swift on Vimeo.

Last Sunday I was on my way to church, driving in my cube, no worries. Then, on the side of the road, what do I spot? A roadwork sign... but not just a regular road work sign. This particular bright orange sign had a nice, black swastika spray-painted over it, with a little "wp" written next to it, presumably standing for "white power."

I was appalled. Not because of the content of the sign, but because this was the third time I've seen such markings on this same stretch of road. Frankly, I've grown tired of it. Tired of the ignorance, the hate. Why do people have to be so mean?!

I'm currently reading Love Wins by Rob Bell. I wanted to see what all the hoopla was about, and frankly, I'm not into judging something until I've read/heard/seen it for myself. Personally, I haven't found anything he's said in there particularly offensive. I'm only half-way through, but I think as usual, people are making a big deal over something that may very well be a whole lot of nothing. What I did find interesting is one thing he says won't be present in heaven- racism.

"Imagine being a racist in heaven... and realizing that you're sitting next to them. Those people. The ones you've despised for years. Your racist attitude would simply not survive." His point is that heaven (whatever he may regard that to look like) is going to be filled with all kinds and colors of different people. There's no room for bigotry in heaven. And there shouldn't be any room for it in the body of Christ.

If we are to follow the example of Jesus Christ, we have to love everyone. Everyone. Even our enemies. The Gospel makes that very clear. In fact, the only people Jesus ever showed anger towards (besides the people misusing the temple of God), were the Pharisees. The religious leaders of the day. They were the hypocrites; they were the racists. Which is why Jesus felt it necessary to speak in parables like the Good Samaritan. Why He informed us that the second greatest commandment is loving your neighbor as yourself. I've said it before- love is not an option. It's a command.

In Paul's letter to the Romans, he writes, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." At peace. With everyone. Not name-calling. Not picketing. Not arguing. Living in peace. It shouldn't be that hard. I don't know... maybe it's just because that's how I was raised, but I don't think it should be a chore to be civil to your fellow man. Sometimes when I see all the hate people can spew at each other, it seems so childish. Isn't so very "high school" of us to form cliques and shun the weaker/nerdy/different from the group? Maybe it's time we all grew up.

A Full Time Job

My BFF is one smart cookie. Sure, she's deathly afraid of lizards and her hair being too greasy, but she knows a lot about life. Today in the car she told me about when she used to work with kids a lot, she would tell them, "Just worry about yourself... that's a full-time job." Sure, that's great advice for kids. Just pay attention to what you're doing instead of trying to tattle on everyone else. Then, you're more likely to behave and less likely to be upset over what someone else does/has.

It got me to thinking... some adults, myself included, could really use the same advice. If we were only concerned with what we were doing and not into everyone else's business, how much better could our lives be? Jesus talked about not trying to pick out the speck in your brother's eye when you yourself have a plank sticking out of yours (Matt. 7:3-5). The truth of the matter is, if we all payed attention to our own troubles and what we're doing for the kingdom, we wouldn't have time to point out anyone else's faults or start needless arguments over things that are really inconsequential in the light of eternity. My pastor, Randy Humphrey also put it this way- we spend too much time arguing about today, that we don't think about the future. In other words, we're wasting time!

I think this little proverb has other applications to life as well. I'm a musician. My greatest passion (besides Jesus, of course) is music. I love writing, singing, playing it... but sometimes I spend too much time comparing myself to others. I wish I could sing like her; I wish I could play guitar like him. And today I heard God saying to me, "I made you to be you, not someone else. You be the best you can be." I know it sounds simple, but it really brought me such a sense of peace over things I used to really be insecure about. I guess I used to think of God listening to me sing like a heavenly Simon Cowell (that's not blasphemous, right?). Anyway, I used to imagine Him just kind of sitting there listening to Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, and me. I would think, clearly I'm not as good as they are. But God doesn't sit there comparing the gifts and talents He gave us to the ones He gave others, so why do we?

Whether it's comparing yourself to others or judging others for their wrongs, it's not how God intended for us to view the world. I think God cares more about our unity in Christ (Eph. 4:2-6) than our momentary squabbles. Things that are really important, like building encouraging relationships (both with believers and nonbelievers), should take precedence over wondering whether Susie's pineapple upside-down cake tastes better than yours. And you should be listening to the sermon on Sunday morning, not pondering if Jimmy went out drinking the night before. In short, just worry about yourself... that's a full-time job.