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So its been a while since I have written a note so this has the potential to be really good, or really bad, Either way it is what has been on my mind for a week or so now and I need to just get it out. First things first if you want to get a little background to this note the check out this song by Joshua Radin, it really got me thinking about these two things, Envy and Fear, and how they work against us. So before you read any further feel free to check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvzINsg1PKo
Lately I have found myself pondering what it is that stops us from doing what is right? what is it that stops us from living up to our full potential? what is it that stops us from doing the true will of God? There are probably many things that do this, however, a lot of our fault can be found in two simple words, envy and fear.
When I look at the Israelites after they came out of Egypt I am shocked at just how often they make the same mistakes that we still make today. They are so impatient, greedy, stubborn, all the things that you would think a people would not be if they had just witnessed a God that had brought them out of bondage, but yet humanity has a way of sneaking in a bringing out the worst in who we are. We are no different today. There are so many lessons that we could take away the mistakes of these people yet here we are, going through them all over again. When we look at envy in this country it is a real problem. We are taught growing up that the “American Dream” is to make lots of money have a nice house a, couple cars, and we look to many different places to get there. We look at athletes, actors, wealthy business people, we envy what they have and want it for ourselves. We want to invent the next big things like google, or to play pro ball and get paid the big bucks, and we wonder why so many people in this country have bouts with depression and arent happy with their lives, because the truth is everyone cant be an athlete, or an actor, or singer, but we can all WANT to be, and when we realize we cant be then we are forced to settle for something that is less than.
So it makes me wonder, we value these people for what they can do and they make a lot of money, like obscene amounts of money for entertaining us yet the people that are teaching our children are making on average 40,000 dollars a year. The people who are shaping the minds of the next generation of people are valued at a far lower price than people that play for our local sports teams. The fact of the matter is for MOST teachers it isn’t about the money, its about the service. And so we reach this idea, what is more important getting paid or serving in some way? We live in a society that values money above service, yet this is incompatible with the teachings of Christ.
I use this phrase “incompatible with the teachings of Christ” because apparently it is being used to ralley the troops in the Methodist church behind not amending the constitution to be more inclusive. This note is not about said ralley but the simple fact that if we are going to really use lines to deny people then lets make sure that all we do and teach are “compatible with the teachings of Christ”. So when a president declares war then as a church we should stand up and say that we do not support it, why? because our church believes that WAR is “incompatible with the teachings of Christ”. With the same token when we live in a society that values money over service then we stand up and say that is “incompatible with Christ teaching”, Jesus was not about being rich, but was about giving. When He tells the fishermen Simon (Peter) and Andrew to cast their nets and they catch so many fish that they have to have help pulling them in, they then leave that fortune sitting on the beach and follow Jesus. Many others gave away or sold what they had and followed Jesus. So here we have this idea that its not about the money but about the service, about following Christ, so one could say that a person that amassing large amounts of wealth is “incompatible with Christ teaching.” I dont know, maybe thats taking it a little far and some mights say well Jesus never said that you shouldn’t be wealthy, but he also never talked about homosexuality. But I digress because this isnt about the issue of homosexuality but that envy, this idea that we may all one day be millionares or have lots of money is polluting our society and getting our priorities out of wack.
Why is it hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom, because the more money we get the more we start to care about money and how much we have. As long as we live in a society that envy’s the “cribs” of someone famous, in my opinion, we will have our priorities out of place. It seems to me the happiest societies are those that both take care of their needs but also take care of the needs of others, call it socialism or whatever you want but what is more important, personal wealth or a society that has its needs met. The early Christian church made a strong statement about this when many of its followers sold what they had and gave it to the needy. They cared about the needs of others. Look up the word poor on any bible site and see what the old testament says about taking care of the poor. So why do we have such a problem with this?
Well let me ask you this, why is it that we dont pull over and help someone who is stranded on the road? Why do we think twice about letting someone in our house to use our phone? Why are we do we refuse to give money to a homeless person on the side of the road? Most of the time its cause we are afraid, its because of fear. We are afraid they might hurt us, we are afraid they might take the money and do something else with it and make us into fools. SO often we let fear stop us from doing something that we feel we ought to do. We are called to take care of the poor, but fear gets in our way. The phrase do not fear is mentioned over 200 hundred times in the bible, and as Donald Miller says “the supposition is that you are going to get scared.” Can we really care for a world that we are afraid of. I love my family to death, but when I start talking to them about going somewhere like Africa what they all tend to tell me is “thats good but just dont go somewhere dangerous.” My first thought is that why? I know you are afraid for me but if there are people in need in dangerous places then it most likely means that they need even more help.
Its not that we arent supposed to ever be afraid, but that we CANT let that fear paralyze us into not acting. Moses was def. unsure of what God had told him to be, but He eventually went forth with the will of God. David when fighting David was not afraid, if anything he was eager, and why because he knew that God would keep him safe, he had faith that he would be taken care of. And so maybe we lack a sense of faith that God will take care of us, or that God will take our gesture and turn it into something that changes a persons life. Maybe this is idealistic, it def fits with my MO, but what is more important to live a life of service to the needy or to live a life that is all about making money and climbing the corporate ladder. As Christians we are called to be more, to want not wealth but to want the needs of God’s people to be met.
I say all of this to say what I say a lot, but I feel is important, we are called to visit the sick, cloth and feed the needy, visit those in prison. We are called to live a life of little so that we may live a life full of grace and love. Helping people is more than just giving money to your church or to a charity, its about relationships, its about coming face to face with people and learning their stories and caring for them no matter what. Having a relationship with someone often times amounts so much more for both persons involved then just giving money.This is our real calling, to be servants like Christ, and do whatever it takes to feed the hungry and cloth the naked. If it means selling what we have then lets do it. If it means living in a house that is one room smaller, then do it. If it means sharing a car or using public transportation then do it. And then not just giving the money and being done with it, but get involved with how it is used. Volunteer at a shelter, or help with an after school program, so whatever you can to make this world a better place for the least of these. I feel like if we could do this it would go a long way to solving a lot of the problems that plague our society and our world.
May we know that in all we do and all we give God is present with us, and find joy in the heart of a servant. May we put aside our envy of others, our greed for more, and our fear for whatever it is that is holding us back from doing the God’s will.
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