More Like Him

          Working in customer service has is perks. For example, just the other day I was having a conversation with a lady about today’s church, and how different it is from the original idea Christ had for the church.

            She told me a story of a man that once went to a very well known and very wealthy televised church. He was homeless and wore the only clothes he owned- dirty, raggedy jeans with holes, a stained button up shirt missing some buttons, and holey shoes. As you can imagine, he probably did not smell too pleasant.

            After several people in the church purposefully moved to be farther away from him, the pastor came up to him and asked him to go home and pray about what he should maybe wear to church next week. The next week came, and again the gentleman wore the same clothes as the week before. Again, the pastor approached him and asked him if he had gone home and asked God for guidance on what to wear to his church. The man replied, ‘why, yes, I did. But he told me he didn’t know what I should wear because he’d never been here himself.”

            Many who know me know where I stand on this particular subject. My father, a pastor and preacher, had a heart for the homeless. So I grew up in a home with more compassion and understanding for homeless folks than most. While my own heart has been burdened for the youth of today, part of my father’s legacy of love for the homeless lives on in my heart.

            I cannot tell you how many churches I have been to and witnessed this same situation as that poor gentleman dealt with. My father taught me to always sit near them- or right next to them if it didn’t make them uncomfortable. But sadly, many didn’t have the advantage of being raised the way that I was.  They pull away and turn from the different, the new, the smelly, and the dirty. I’ve heard it said, by my own pastor, that if Jesus himself walked into some churches these days he’d be asked to leave because he didn’t fit the “dress-code.”

            How can we be Christ’s hands and feet if we are too busy fluffing our dresses, and smoothing our shirts to lend a hand to someone in need; or resting our feet after a “hard week” in our brand new, fancy work shoes, to go out to where those without proper shoes are?

            How can we be his arms that envelop us all in unending, and undeserving love when we are too busy crossing our arms in disgust as Mr. john doe shuffles into church looking for acceptance and love, but not looking (or smelling) the right way?

            The bible tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22: 39 AMP), yet how can we do that when we are so focused on our own problems and ourselves? It is proven fact that going out into the world and helping those that Christ also loves just as much as us, but don’t have the things and possessions we have (such as a roof over their head, more than one set of clothes, or simple toiletries for women.) will not only change your perspective, but open your eyes to how to be more like Christ. And in the end, isn’t that what we are all striving for? 

Philos, 

Lacey