We Should Be Changed

Christ should change you, that seems to be a given – but is it? Christ won’t change you into a republican, or a democrat, but should change you into being a little Christ; your life should be reflecting the walk of Christ, not the walk of you. If your life is not changed, is not changing, you’re not being challenged by the teachings of Christ – you are changing the teaching of Christ to meet your life, your walk, your political point of view – Following Christ should shatter the old you. If your life is truly changed, if you have accepted the invitation to change your life, your life will be turned right side up, while the world lives upside down. What does it mean to “live right side up?”

Help those in need: Care for the poor, feed the hungry, help the hurting, and get your hands dirty in the process. We’ve said those words over, and over, and over, and still we find reasons not to get involved; reasons not to help, reasons not to change. We find ways to ignore the issues facing the marginalized in our communities. We want places to feed the hungry, we just don’t want them around our homes. We have moved the “social problems” out of our well-manicured lawns, and private roads. We make all kinds of excuses for this, but we all seem to do it.

Many, claiming to journey with Christ, don’t particularly care about those who are hurting, one way or another. That may sound harsh, even divisive, but for many the hurting are simply the hurting; they really don’t give it a thought one way or the other. Those who think this way believe those who are hurting simply need to “pull themselves up by their boot straps,” which implies they actually have boots to start with. The idea of “love your neighbor as yourself” has less meaning to many, because the hurting have been so marginalized, they have been removed from the sight of many people.

If they are poor, we move them to the other side of town

If they are homeless, we takedown the shelters they have and tell them to leave

If they are abused, we ignore their pain and continue with our “normal” life

If they are scared, we don’t want to talk about it because it could get messy

We need to get dirty, hurt, and pushed out of our comfort zone – because that is what Jesus did.