I don't know if it is the political discourse our country is pissed at, or the fact i was yelling at terrible referees at the Highlands Ranch soccer game, or the Anti-abortion bumper sticker next to the Beer is Freedom bumper sticker i saw this morning that set me off but i have come to a concrete conclusion. As a people we are doing far to much finger pointing and not enough self evaluating.
We do it every day if we mean to or not. When you are driving down the road mumbling, "this moron is going to slow!" or "look how fast that MANIAC is driving!". If you are arguing who's fault the shutdown is, or who is to blame for the education system in this country for being a steaming pile of crap. Someone else is to blame because obviously you have all the answers. FUN FACT - YOU DO NOT! Ever person does have the right answers for themselves. unfortunately we live in a world of diversity and individuality. No person will learn, speak, sing, dance, play, write, cry, or fart like anyone else on this planet. Christ knew this and made sure everyone he talked to knew about it. "When you pray do it in a dark room so it is between you and your father in heaven" He knew life is about personal relationships not outspoken acts of self righteousness. Lives are changed in the quiet moments when relationship is valued over righteousness.
I guess what really got my goat this morning was the Anti-Abortion bumper sticker. It stated - If your fetus isn't a baby then you ain't a mother. i laughed first at the Ain't because using that kind of verbiage on such a sensitive issue made the driver not only seem like a moron but also someone who deserves no voice in such an intimate and personal issue, and the fact there was a BEER IS FREEDOM bumper sticker makes me think, "before you talk about someone else "murdering a baby" maybe you should work on your alcoholism and domestic violence issues." But what do i know, i am not in their life, or do i know the circumstance of the placement of that bumper sticker. Just like owner of the sticker has NO IDEA what a woman having to make such a difficult decision has to go through.
So here i am standing on the wrong side of the cross asking Christ what are we to do about things we truly and deeply believe in! The answer is simple, LIVE THEM OUT. Christ calls us to lives of actions not lives fighting against others, instead an internal struggle of self improvement. Not an external struggle of "BE LIKE ME OR GO TO HELL" because if i had to be like you i would hate myself, mainly because i hate assholes. We are to reflect and judge our own actions, because those are the only actions we can change. Looking down at others and judging them creates division when we should have celebrations. If you think you are ok judging because you got it right, remember what Christ said in Matthew. "Judge not lest ye' be... justified by something said earlier in this book, I'm not sure, i didn't read the whole thing its really long, but is probably in there somewhere, look in Leviticus."
Here is what the solution to our finger pointing society boils down to -
1) Stop thinking your way is always right, because you will always be wrong about that.
2) When you love one another as Christ loves us, we don't always have to like each other and that's OK .
3) If you believe in Anti or Pro something then live it out in your own life, and support those making difficult decisions without passing judgment. Because in those moments you can be Christ for someone else. Yelling at someone because you think YOU ARE God's voice is a disgrace.
