I was at an Authors Event, where various
writers, including me, sat on panels to answer audience questions regarding our
craft. There was a woman, also a writer in the room who raised her hand when we
discussed the concept of Christian content.
“Do Christians ever write books of
criticism on Christianity?” was her question.
The tenor of the inquiry suggested she
was not a follower of you, Messiah, and that perhaps she had an axe to grind.
Regardless, I appreciated both her courage to ask and wondered at the origins
of the query. The panel encouraged that yes, Christian writers throughout
history have and still do hold up the harsh light of opinion upon the church. For
good reason too―we do not often enough follow your perfect example in our daily
walk. There are countless commentaries on faith serving to point us toward honest
reflection and correction, but do we countlessly seek agreement as suggested by
chapters and verses in the book we are so apt to criticize. Thank you again for
grace in the struggle of our minds, Jesus, but I pray toward more defense of the
complete work, rather than division.
And under the guidance of that hunger, I
wanted to reach out to the searching soul who was brave enough to offer the question
on her heart to the room we shared. I perceived that the immediate answers our
panel had offered were not quite satisfactory to her wondering. So, after the
discussion, I approached her and learned that indeed she had had a negative
experience in her formative years with some proclaimed Christian group. Whether
by their instruction to her, or by her perception, she felt judged; not by your
Word, but by her peers.
I was saddened on reflection. First,
because it didn’t need to be that way; their choices and hers led to a parting
instead of an invitation to learn and grow together. Lord, I totally get the “resistance
factor”, wanting my ways as they are now, to be your ways. That’s where you met
me and changed me. But at some point I had to become something I hadn’t
considered attractive; I had to become submissive to another’s…your thoughts,
your instruction which was not in sync with my thoughts and direction.
At that turning point, I started
realizing I was the “issue”, not your plan. Now, I was observing a young woman
who, like me did not seem to understand the very essence of your conviction on
us. We are by nature critiquers. The tricky road being of course that the world
(as evidenced by this woman’s position) seems to expect me to criticize you
when in fact it is me and all of us in need of correction. But that means we
all have to join together, standing before the mirror of your measuring―a very
uncomfortable place to be…at least initially.
Yet, there is help to be had in the
effort to shift direction. On this day in that room, you stepped in, Spirit.
While I was later talking one-on-one with the questioner, another man walked up
to us and introduced himself as a recent joiner of the faith. His amazing
confession? “It took me until I was 60 plus years old to realize I was the one
getting in the way of my belief in a loving Savior.”
Wow. He went on to explain that he was
an engineer who recently visited a congregation with his son. The pastor
presented a position diametrically opposed to this man’s belief, so he came
back to confront and work out the disagreement (oh, this sounds so familiar,
Lord). In that conflict the man discovered Truth; not his, not the pastor’s,
but yours, Teacher) and in that moment, the new man was born.
Any additional words I might have
offered to underscore his witness would have been pointless. He had just
reduced commentary to a simple equation already clearly offered in the writings of your servant, James:
But he gives more
grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to
the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil,
and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse
your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched
and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to
gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will stir within
you and lift you up.
I still pray for the woman’s struggle,
Lord, as I pray for my own ongoing resistance to be wiped clean. AS my new
found friend in the faith beautifully portrayed, it is not as simple as asking
you to improve me, but is more my willingness in humility to be improved. Let
that be the condition we all seek, in your name, Jesus, perfecter of our faith.
Thank you, Lord, again, for teaching and
loving your people toward a closer walk with you.
―It is so.
Mark C.
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