Ecclesiastes has been my favorite book of the Bible for a very long time; it is surreal to look back now and recognize how I've lived it. I have tested, tried, and even indulged in many things and approaches over the course of my walk with God, and I feel like I'm coming full circle.
From the Israelites in Canaan to the New Testament church, God's plan has always been for His people to be a community that actually gets love right so the rest of the world can see and join. We are not called to be a recruitment-centric, behavior-policing army; we are called to just be like Him. He couldn't have made this clearer (Matthew 22:34-40)! Asking, "Who is my neighbor?" or saying, "I will love them once/but they ___" means I've already failed. Cities on hills and lamps on stands don't chase or harass people, they just are. People can see them and choose them as better than where they currently are or what they currently have.
From Genesis to Revelation the vast majority of Scripture is God using one or a few of His people to try to get through to the rest (Pentateuch, prophets, histories, wisdom writings, epistles; that actually doesn't leave much else). Most of the time they don't listen. Not much has changed, and apparently never will (Matthew 7:21-23).
So in conclusion, turns out it's actually pretty simple:
- Whatever the problem, some will choose to be part of the solution, many will not (Proverbs 12:1).
- When the rubber meets the road, very few will truly choose humility and love (Matthew 7:13-14).
- The only way I can ever be part of a group where I agree with everything is if I'm part of a group where everyone thinks like me. This will almost never happen; if it does it will be brief; and, it really is not best. Participating in groups where people think differently from me is needed, healthy, and how I get to practice being like Him (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).
- These things will not change until the end, and I am not here to fix the world but to be a little light in the darkness, loving my neighbors and my enemies, pointing to the only real solution, which is offered to all (2 Timothy 3:1-5; Matthew 5:14-16; Matthew 5:43-48; 1 Timothy 2:3-4).
- What people do with this is God's purview, not mine (1 Corinthians 15:37-38).
- I have failed hard and often to be like Jesus, but I can never give up and never stop growing (Romans 12:21; Philippians 3:12; 2 Peter 1:8-11).
Jesus came full of grace and truth (John 1:14), but we humans will never be full of either. And while I fully embrace the need for and value of truth, I find myself agreeing more and more with this movie clip when it comes to us being certain we always know what the truth is. I am beginning to see why all of us so desperately need all the grace and mercy we can get (Luke 23:34), and all I want at this point is to be an instrument of this, leaving truth to God and only ever striving to be an instrument of truth as He sees fit (2 Timothy 2:15)!
Lord, I can be such a mess,
but I am a dearly loved mess!
Thank you for...well...being perfect!
Thank you for loving me, no matter what.
Please help me to want what you want;
please help me to be a light.
