Eating the Wounded

   When I was growing up, I had some very stubborn thoughts about what I would eat and what I wouldn't. Most of the time, I wouldn't eat certain things simply because of how they looked or smelled. Sure, I would hear the advice of others. "How do you know you don't like it if you've never tried it?" seemed to be the most common response to my culinary prejudices. But I always had my reasons for not eating certain things, and my gag reflex was seemingly convinced that those prejudices were valid.
   Sometimes it was as simple as seeing someone I didn't care for eating those things. I would watch them enjoying certain foods and think "That's just disgusting." Somehow, in my twisted way of thinking, my distaste for those individuals would transfer to a distaste for the food they ate. Hey, don't judge me.........We all have our quirks.

   It wasn't until I was in my early 20's that I decided to try to put these culinary prejudices behind me and to start trying foods I had never tried before. In an exceptional burst of bravery, I began trying to eat things like lobster tail, sour cream, halibut, broccoli, cauliflower, etc..

   I'll be the first to admit that I was uneasy at first.......... I didn't just dive right in with a mountainous fork-full..........I took a small taste..........then waited. What I found was that I had missed out on some very good food for a very long time. So why did I wait so very long to try these foods? The answer is simple.........there was something I had seen, or heard, or felt, that made the idea of even trying these foods repulsive to me. There were experiences in my life that had shaped my thinking about these foods. There were people in my life who had said and done certain things that cemented those beliefs in my mind. There were also people in my life who had no idea how to cook or present these foods to me in a way that seemed palatable.

   I believe there are a great deal of people who feel the same way about the church.

   How many times have you heard someone say they would never step foot in any church because the people inside are hypocrites? How many times have you had someone attack your beliefs, and then immediately share with you a story of how someone, at some point in their life, had believed the same things you believe and had treated them horribly? Or had done some really horrible things to others?

   As bible-believing Christians, I believe that we sometimes act in ways that cause those who don't share our beliefs to point their fingers and say: "I would never be able to follow a God who treats people the way that I see you treat others."

   Have you ever heard anyone say: "Those Christians just think they're better than everyone else?"

   Why do they say those things? Because many times, that's exactly the way we make them feel through our words and actions. Many times, and in many ways, we reject nearly everything about them. We reject their judgement, their abilities, their thoughts, their accomplishments, you name it. We sometimes feel justified in doing so because they are not using their gifts, talents, and abilities in accordance with our own beliefs. But are they not valuable in God's eyes, regardless of their beliefs?

   In Psalm 139:13-14, it's written;

 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well." 

   Do those words apply only to those who believe what we believe, or do they apply to every single person on this planet?

   In Matthew 11:28, we read;

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

   I don't read anything in there that says; "But until you do that, you hold no value as a person."

   You see, every single person on this planet is exceptionally valuable to God whether I agree with them or not. If God has created them, and.........."Knit them together in their mother's womb"........ and then tells them "Come to me, and I will give you rest".........then who am I to condemn them where they stand?

   There are millions of people walking this planet right now who have been wounded in unthinkable ways by people who have claimed to believe what we believe. They have experienced "Holier than thou botulism" at some point, and their belief in God has been colored by what they've experienced from those who claim to follow Him. They don't need to be rejected for feeling hurt and angry about this. We do no good in "eating the wounded."

   Every single person on this planet has exceptional gifts, talents, and abilities. They were created that way. If they come to faith, and God begins to empower those gifts, talents, and abilities with His Spirit, then we will watch in awe as we see those gifts, talents, and abilities used in ways that will have eternal spiritual significance.............But those gifts, talents, and abilities still live within these people regardless of what they believe. Why? Because that's how they were created.

   It is not our job to judge the hearts of others. It is not our job to determine whether or not their gifts, talents, and abilities are useful. It is our job to accept them, love them, appreciate them, and live our lives in a way that makes them say "Wow........there's something very different about this person......I want some of that in my life." Declaring war on them will never make them feel all warm and fuzzy about sitting next to us in church and singing songs with us.

   It is our job to show that the lives of faith we lead are palatable...........and to do all we can to avoid giving them a "gag-reflex" when they think about stepping into our churches.