We are all in this together
We are in this together whether we like it or not. I don’t
care if you are Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, or otherwise we are all on the
same planet seeking survival the best way we know how. Our attempt at surviving
this life in preparation for the next is made possible by the knowledge we
constantly seek.
I, like you, have read and heard so many variations of what
Jesus looked like as well as what he did in the years missing from the Gospels.
These versions are as different as all the people that have lived on this earth
for the last 2012 years. Depending on how we feel today or actions carried out
against we may or may not have the same belief we have when things are rolling
along in harmony. See our version of Jesus swings like a pendulum over the
course of our lives.
When I say we are in this together well we truly are. Every
experience, every circumstance shapes our spiritual and moral base however we
allow it to be molded. Think with me a moment, if we believe that Jesus was
human in every way, meaning he had emotions, then why would he have chosen a
group of social misfits to guide his ministry and form the basis of faith we
have today? Why would he have chosen Paul in all his wicked ways to travel and
spread the Gospel over the known world? I think the answer is simple and
obvious if you read the Gospel. The people that think they have it all could
not serve for fear of losing. The people that had nothing really had it all
because they knew what real pain and emotion was all about. Jesus made the
right choice because in his own words he came to save the sinners not the
righteous. I will let you decide which camp you belong to.
In our day and time the social misfits are talked about, ostracized,
cast out, or relegated to a small space in our lives when we have nothing else
to do. Same goes true with the people that have condemned us or sinned against
us in various ways. Jesus with his living example saw fit to use these people
to form the greatest movement in history. The question becomes how well are we
carrying on this movement? Do you push others down in an effort to elevate
yourself?
It is Easter of course, a time when most people will attend
church. Hopefully the service everyone attends will shape their moral fiber
(mine too) and make of us all a people that sees the person not the sin. Jesus
crafted our minds to forgive and our hearts to reach out. The modern world and
all its money and greed have made us into a cold place Satan loves to reside.
We need more power, more money, more fake this or that, more attention, more judgment,
or simply more of what we already have.
I encourage everyone when they attend church tomorrow or
watch a service on TV please allow your hearts to soften enough that you can
feel the pain of those struggling in life. People locked into a sinner’s prison
and the only key is the one you hold. As Jesus told the people at the tomb of
Lazarus “unbind that man” I pray today that you will unbind those you have
placed judgment on and at the same time unbind yourselves to finally feel the
love Jesus died to give you. We are in this together so do your part and make
the world a better place.
Peace and love
Dale Childress
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