Two Roads
Posted by: stuartdelony in Blogroll, Christianity, Jesus, Uncategorized, general, journey, judgemental, life, people, religion, youth, youth ministry
Often times, as Christians, we get this mentality that it’s our job to fix people. That mentality is fueled by two ideas: 1) that we can see a person’s life objectively and 2) that we can judge sin. Most time we don’t process it this way, but if we were to dissect our motives – then we’d know it to be true. But never once in scriptures are we called to fix people. Share the Good News? Yes. Show love and compassion? Yep. Fix people? Not once. If this is true then why we defaultly fall back on lecturing and preaching at people. It doesn’t work, so why do we do it?
What am I getting at? Well, in my latest clash with Pharisees, one of our students was being shackled by judgment – a harsh hand for something they did. Were they wrong? Sure. Do they know it? Yes. And in watching two people react to this student my eyes were really opened. One adult decided to lecture the young man pointing out the many ways his life has gone wrong. They wanted to convince him of their own rightness. This adult had not earned the right to speak into this student’s life.
The second person approached the young man very differently. This adult had been journeying with the student for quite some time. The first adult had not. The second adult had a conversation with the student; not lecturing or shaming them, but pursuing their heart. Through their conversation life change happened. The lecture just resulted in hardness of heart.
If journeying with a person works. If Christ’s example says that journey is the way… then why do we do it any other way? So many times we use the Bible or tradition or our own self-righteousness to separate us from others. It is used to fuel this air of judgmentalism (‘you’re sinful and I’m not’) which births this lecturing mentality. This way keeps us clean. It keeps us pious. And it keeps our hands from getting dirty. We ultimately remain in control.
To journey with people, we simply walk humbly with the Lord and invest our lives into others. With journey we are forced to be on God’s time table. It takes time and we have no control over situations or people that we encounter. Journey facilitates openness, authenticity, fragility, brokenness and a deeper love that we can experience alone. The lecture keeps an ‘us and them’ mentality that will always keeps us apart and we were never meant to be apart.
If we don’t journey with others in Christ, living loving, investing, then Gospel you live out is no longer the good news to those around you. It becomes a wall when it was meant to be an open hand. An open hand reaches out to others. An open hand accepts help. An open hand joins with someone else’s hand because the gospel was mean to be that way.
A fool lectures thinking they have it all figured out. A wise man knows he isn’t wise and has compassion for the one who has stumbled knowing they have stumbled too. Life is a journey that is out of our hands, out of our control, and beyond our understanding. So let us journey together, humbly together reaching out to the one who is in control and wants to journey with us.
We can tell people the right answers, but if we are unwilling to journey with them our words are meaningless… and so are our intentions.
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Stuart,
I agree with this relational philosophy of reaching people with the Gospel of Christ. There are at times where God has used people to speak to my life even though I didn’t have a relationship with them. For example, I have read many books and authors who I have never met or walked through life with me. Yet, the things they have written have had an influence on my life. Those who “journey” or walk with me through life do have the greater influence. And of course God has used circumstances and enlightenment through the Scriptures and Holy Spirit to correct my waywardness. I believe the ministry we are called to with youth does demand more of a relational context, but God can use anything (even a Gospel tract as in my story) to initiate change through a relationship with Christ. Thanks for taking the relational road with students. You are making a difference in many kids lives.
You’re right God can use anything…
Stuart, it seems like anyone who doesn’t think exactly like you is labeled as a pharisee and to me that seems judgemental in its self. I also hope this doesn’t have anything to do with the latest situation in my church. I agree with almost all of what you said though!
Alisha,
I value your opinion and appreciate you posting.
You’re right I sure I can be judgmental.
Though I think there’s a difference between having an opinion and being judgmental. Most situations I would comment on here would come from someone stepping on my toes. Once a situation or a person is thrust into my personal space, then I feel I have a right to have an opinion on it.
Being judgmental signifies I’m out stepping on other people’s toes and thrusting my point of view.
So I don’t see it as “people thinking like me” issue, if feel like it’s different. People are free to think what they want.
Christ wasn’t for lack of opinions, but he (for the most part) didn’t go after the Pharisees. The Pharisees on the other hand brought the fight to Jesus. Now I’m not saying I’m Jesus or even in the neighborhood of his wisdom, holiness… etc. I’m just saying that my opinions are derived from situations that get thrust into my face. Otherwise, I’m pretty laid back and quiet.
And no this situation has nothing to do with your church. That situation doesn’t involve me. This is something else.
And no my tone from the above post isn’t angry or mad btw.
Thank you for the clarification.