Recently, I've found myself contemplating the question, "what does it mean to be a Christian?" and not in the cliche' WWJD way, but in the "what does the Bible say, what does God himself say" way.
James says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." As an American, its easy for me to think just about myself (and maybe my husband) but...I can be such an individual that I forget about the world around me and those suffering and those alone. In our Bible study last night, someone brought up a great point, (we're reading Daniel) and he noted that Daniel came before God and confessed the sins of the nation, he confessed and begged for forgiveness on a national level. What a different way of thinking! He cared DEEPLY about those around him who would suffer if God didn't intercede.
My husband and I have talked about what kind of family we want to be, what type of Christians we want to be. We've both feel strongly that we want to be "bridge builders." We want to open our home to anyone who needs a place that is safe and warm and loving. We want to care for the orphan and the widow. Often times, this is just inviting friends out for a beer on Friday night, or listening to a co-worker whose having trouble at work, etc. It' not glamorous, some days its hard. I don't want to care...but I feel...like God is calling us to be different.
A friend told me this fabulous story: 3 men arrived in heaven. The first man was from China, Jesus embraced him and said "well done my good and faithful servant for you have faced immense persecution even at the sake of your own life and remained faithful to me." The second man was from Zambia. Jesus embraced him and said "well done my good and faithful servant for you have faced poverty and destitution and remained faithful to me." The third man was from America. Jesus embraced him and said, "well done my good and faithful servant for you have faced greed and selfishness and remained faithful to me." This story always makes me stop in my tracks. It encapsulates one aspect of what it means to be a Christian. To be a Christian means (in part) looking beyond ourselves, to go beyond our natural selfishness and greed to reach out to those around us who need a touch; who need peace, comfort, a friend.
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