Winsome Holiness

Last night I went to a dinner and talk at Hallack's church.  My former SPU professor was the speaker and I was intrigued by his topic: winsome holiness.  He spoke on I Peter and I was struck by his urgent message to "live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us." 

And this brought me to the place of clarity about what bothers me in the whole Chick-Fil-A debate.  It is that speaking out and standing in lines and taking a stand against gay marriage does nothing to build the kingdom of God but rather further divides us as a nation.  I'd much rather we were putting all our efforts into loving our neighbor as ourselves and I don't know anyone who couldn't be challenged in this area.  I do believe that there is a place to talk about sexual purity - for heterosexuals and homosexuals but you have to earn the right to do so.  Our children desperately need to know what healthy, God given sexuality looks like - not what they see in the movies, on TV and hear about in the locker rooms but we have to be involved in their lives.  The old saying "people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care," comes to mind. 

I'm really tired of all the line drawing that we do in this country;  politically and religiously.  It seems as though you can't say anything without someone trying to peg where you stand and put you into one camp or another.  I have people that I love and care deeply about on both ends of the spectrum and I just want to be the donkey that Jesus rides in on, for all of them.  I don't know how we've gotten so unbalanced when it comes to Jesus' wonderful teaching in the sermon on the mount but I know that we have.  His words to us on prayer, fasting, loving our neighbors, not worrying, putting the kingdom first (and not storing up treasures) and also not judging (lest we be judged) are not the outstanding markers of His Church in America.  I grieve that our wonderful message of love and forgiveness gets lost in all our bickering, our greed, and our self righteousness. 

I guess I'll end by saying that being home with my parents and wrestling through my brokenness has led me to a deeper sense of my need for God.  And how hard it is to embrace humility.  And how gracious He is to take me day by day through my ups and downs and yet never gives up on me.  Love never fails - oh that this would be the mark of His Body in all the World.  His never ending love.