I heard two quotes last week. I’m not sure who originally said them, and they have a little cheese on top:
“Christians are like manure – keep us together and we stink, spread us out and we make things grow.”
“Christians are like snowflakes – authentic, pure, and cold.”
Though both of these quotes sting a bit I find them amusing. I think it’s easy to stay huddled together and never really live amongst our neighbors. And it’s easy to ignore people, to be about our own agendas and become cold towards others. At least it’s easy for me.
About a year ago my brother-in-law told me a quote he read, “If your theology doesn’t lead you to love, then you have the wrong theology.” I think that’s pretty true, though I do think it’s possible to have bad theology and still love. But I think it’s impossible to have right God-centered theology and not love people well. If you find you aren’t loving towards others then you probably are believing something wrong – about yourself and your helplessness, about God and His rescue, about the world and our role in it.
At the end of the day if we haven’t cared for someone, then what are we doing here.
I hope Christ’s work at the cross is enough for the many times I fail to love even a little. It better be… or I’m in trouble.