People....... people who need people

Days 59-61 reading assignment:
Leviticus 22:17-27:13
Mark 9:30-10:52
Psalm 44:1-45:17
Proverbs 10:19-22

My kids hate it when I go to movies alone, they think it's kind of pathetic.  But being married to a man who is on the road five to seven months a year, I attend a lot of events alone.  So many, in fact, that when my husband is able to join me at a wedding or a party, people whisper, "Cindy is here with a man!"

 I didn't set out to go to a movie today but that is where I ended up.  I am begging everybody who ever thought about calling themselves a Christian to please go see "Lord, Save Us From Your Followers."  It is a powerful movie about how the secular world views Christians.  While there were times during this two and a half hour documentary that  I felt deeply ashamed, I left the theater feeling inspired and encouraged.

There are multiple lessons to be learned, but the primary message is that it is time for Christians to take their judgements and shove them.... away.  If our opinions, attitudes and ideals are not about exhibiting love to others, then they aren't God's opinions, attitudes and ideals.  This is a fairly easy task with the people we already love.  There is a quote in the movie that says, "If we love someone we go out of our way to learn the best of who they are."  But what about someone we don't like?  Maybe it's a stranger who looks, acts or believes differently.  Or maybe it is a person that is in our life due to circumstances we have no control over.  It's okay that we don't like them though because they are annoying, or demanding, controlling or nosey.  Or worse, they have made choices to live a life-style that offends us.  What if we went out of our way to learn the best of who they are?  How do we even begin?  Gosh I only know how to be nice to nice people like me.  Jesus only hung out with nice, clean righteous people after-all.......

Another line from the movie was, "We need to stop asking God to bless what we are doing and instead actively participate in what He is doing."  All I know is when it has all played out, God is going to ask each of us that million dollar question, "What did you do with my son?"  There won't be any phoning a friend or audience polls.  In fact, we probably won't get to answer that question with our explanations or our justifications.  I imagine the lights in the theater will just go out and the reel to reel projector will start up with a clickety click and  God will see the answer to His question playing out on the big screen in the people we avoided, ignored and neglected.  The ones we scorned and resented and talked about behind their backs.  The ones we deliberately didn't get close to for whatever reason and the ones we simply never saw in the first place.  God will know the answer because those people were all His Son.

"......I tell you the truth, when you did it to the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me."
                             Matthew 25:40

PS: www.lordsaveusthemovie.com