I know it has been a while since I've written and I apologize for missing so much time. Life has become quite hectic, but all for God's glory. I'm writing today because there is something weighing heavily on my heart. It must be heavy because it's prompted me to take the time to sit down and write!
Over the last week or two I've had numerous conversations with people who have shared with me stories of intense hurt and pain. They've shared in how they have been treated by others and made to feel unwelcome and unaccepted. You hear stories like these often, however each of these stories involved how they were made to feel by their church and particularly church leadership. I'm not talking about petty offenses either. I've heard stories of people going to leadership in a very broken state and being passed around to other people because nobody was willing to take the time to actually minister. I've heard stories of people who fell into temptation, admitted their sin, and repented and yet are still treated by the people at their church like the woman caught in adultery. The church is still holding onto their stone, unwilling to recognize their own sin.
I could list more examples, but I think you get the point of what I'm saying. Lest anyone assume they know the guilty church, these two examples are from two different churches. The fact is we are all guilty. I knew one of the people at the time this hurt happened. I could have done a better job at reaching out to her. I knew there were problems going on, but who am I to offer any kind of help? The real question should be, who am I not to help? Helping doesn't mean fixing. There are so many times we see someone's issues and honestly don't want to get involved in such a mess.
If we are becoming healthier and more Christ like in our own lives, then we realize helping means listening. It means we must be willing to be interrupted by those who cross our paths with pain in their eyes and hurts in their hearts. Throughout scripture we read "as He was on His way to....." Many of the miracles documented in scripture occurred when Jesus was on His way somewhere and was interrupted by someone in a desperate situation. What if Jesus had looked at the person and decided they were too much of a mess for Him to bother? What if Jesus had chosen His disciples based on their appearance? Would he have said they didn't fit the vision He wanted for His church so they were not qualified to be a disciple even though they are the very ones who were anointed to launch the church after Jesus' ascension into heaven?
If we are to call ourselves true Christians, then we MUST see people as Jesus saw them. This is NOT optional! We are not to see them only as the sins they have committed. We often fail to realize the sins being committed are the direct result of past sins committed against them. Because of the ministry I am involved with I know many women who are strippers. As I've gotten to know them I don't see them as their profession. I see them as daughters of God who have some of the biggest hearts you can imagine. They are mothers trying to provide for their children. They are women who have wept over a friend contemplating abortion. They are facing eviction, but see a homeless family and give them the only money they have. They are precious children of the King, just as each of us are also.
If you are reading this and I have ever overlooked you or not taken the time to acknowledge your pain, I'm truly sorry. If you have ever needed an ear to hear your story and I was too busy to stop and hear you, I'm sorry. If you were wounded and instead of finding comfort and acceptance within a church, I apologize on behalf of those who hurt you. I know there are not many of you who read this, but what if each one of us made a commitment to intentionally seek out ONE truly hurting person and made the effort to be there for them? What kind of ripple affect might we cause? What if instead of playing church and "leadership" in ministry we actually took the time necessary to be there for those around us? I'm not saying it's easy. It requires sacrifice of our time, our attention, and even our hearts. This is nothing compared to the sacrifice Jesus made for us. Who is with me?
