Where Faith Meets Trials

It’s intense to think that only a year ago I was a few weeks away from starting the journey to Fort Worth, Texas where I would attend Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I was excited and a little nervous; I’d be out on my own. Away from my parents and family. A strange new world filled with barbeque, cowboy hats and ridiculously hot weather. To be honest, I almost chickened out and ran back home. Thanks to a loving family and God speaking through them, I stuck it out to see what God had in store for my life.

Let me tell you, it’s been an adventure.

I’ve grown a lot. I’ve learned a lot. About myself, life, God, friends and the sort. A lot of questions found their answer and some still haven’t. The reason for this writing is because I have this nagging question about Christians. It’s a question about myself. It’s a question about you. Am I, are you, ready to give an answer?

Why do we make people fight for our fellowship? A bit of a curveball, I know. Let me explain further.

I’ve studied Scripture more this past year than I have in my entire life and one of the things I picked up on is that Jesus taught/showed people what love really looked like. That’s not all he did, for sure. He even said that people who didn’t know him would come to know him by the way we (we being Christians) loved one another in a brother/sister family way and would know we are true disciples of him.

I was one of the fortunate few to grow up in a loving family. For those of you who did not have that chance, I am truly sorry. I pray that God’s grace and love finds you and comforts you as He leads you to people who will show you this love. But I digress, what I mean is I know what it’s like to be in a family that has your back 24/7. A family who’s love you can both see and feel. A family who’s bond is so strong it could hold a skyscraper standing.

What I’m getting at is this: if we, Christians, have truly come to Christ and are following him into the church of Christ where we are all equal and we are all brothers and sisters…why aren’t we acting like that? Better yet, why aren’t we living it? I mean, if we are truly brothers and sisters, why don’t we prove it by loving on one another? By supporting one another as a church should?

I understand it’s easy to get caught up in work and life but is that really any excuse to not slow down and see how a brother or sister is doing? We even do this to people who don’t know God. We try to not think about the fact that unless they come to know Christ, their fate is hell. We try not to think of the guilt that is ours for not telling them. But if we are capable, even in the slightest, of talking to a person about Jesus for the sake that they may find peace and love beyond understanding and they escape the gates of hell, then we are just as guilty for not sharing Jesus with them.

I fear I’m becoming to scatter brained in this writing but the next time you see a brother or sister (real easy to find one if you’re on a Christian school campus or at church), take the time to sit down and invest in them. You may wind up late to class or work or wherever. So be it. I’ve come face to face with so many hurting people in the past few weeks that I feel the weight of my decisions bearing down on me as I just ignored their pain.

I don’t even feel I should be writing this right now because I, too, am not spared of the conviction from this message but at the same time, I feel as though someone needs to say this. If you’re a believer/follow of Jesus Christ, take the time to read John 13:34-35 and ask yourself, “How can I love my brothers and sisters”? Then ask yourself, “How can I love others”? It is not hard, nor painful, to ask someone how they are doing and spend a few minutes investing in them. Who knows, you may just brighten their day a little. You may convince them that there are still people in the world who genuinely care and love. You may spur a fellow believer on to good works (Hebrews 10:24).

For those who aren’t believers/followers of Jesus, I apologize for the times that a Christian failed to show you love. I apologize for the times I failed to show you just a little glimpse of what God’s love is all about. I apologize for all the times I didn’t tell you what sin really is and just how terrifying hell truly is. And I’m sorry to my brothers and sisters for not taking God’s Word seriously and loving you like a brother. For using I’m busy as a weak excuse to not stop and care for you.

So, what do we do? Do we stare our mistakes in the face, paralyzed at what we’ve done?

No.

Let’s not be paralyzed by our mistakes. Let’s learn from them. Let’s repent. Let’s change things. Let’s start loving people the way Christ intended us to.

Something to think about.