~ My Green Room ~: “Having Christian convictions can’t ever negate having Christ’s compassion.”

“Everyone is a resource. They serve a purpose. You serve a purpose. I compartmentalized all of you. You are here to prop me up, to tear me down, to straighten my spine, to lighten the load. To be my carrier pigeon, my work horse, my lover, my fighter, my friend, my enemy.”
― Christopher Gutierrez

There was a time in my life when I was trying to place things where I thought they should belong. Set rules and lived around them. Was strictly following each one. Y'know, like always be on the right side of the corridors, never stray away from the sidewalk, be polite especially to the elders... I even made rules for myself. I didn't unnecessarily expect others to be loyal to basic rules. In fact, I was considerate enough to take them as they are with no complaints. O'course, there were times I asked myself why are some people the way they are? Guess it's part of my being a RULE-person. Was thinking too much that I was trying to rationalize how come certain people don't act the same way as I do. Especially growing up in a Christian community, I had expectations of everyone around me. Not big ones. Just what I thought Christians should be like.

What's good about me being that girl with many rules in mind, I didn't force them on anyone. God's been really faithful that He gave me wisdom not to impose on anyone what I THOUGHT "should be". Growing up, I kinda have this idea that I am not anyone's writer...definitely not their creator. Which, helped me respect their design. Being this observant girl, I noticed there are people who don't care about others... they are just about themselves. I learned about bullies even at an early age (when bully wasn't still a common term). Some people are naturally timid. Some fearful. Some are indifferent. Some are naturally kind. People vary. People have different personalities. At times, I can't understand what's the point of being around this diversity. And, many times, I wished I have the option to choose which kinds I want to be surrounded by. Sadly, it isn't possible. I can always try...but will always be in vain.

It's far more convenient if we're given the choice to pick the kinds of person we want to stick with us. No hassles. We can just throw away whoever doesn't belong or doesn't meet our standard. But, isn't that a character flaw? A bratty attitude? How can we mature in every area of our being if all that's before us are only things that we find pleasurable? How can we learn what LOVE really means according to God's definition of it if we're surrounded by only loveable people? In fact, the Word tells us to "love one another" (John 13:34) ...it didn't tell us to be choosy in who we want to love. In other parts of the Bible, we're even instructed to "be tolerant with one another" (Colossians 3:13) and to "carry each others burdens" (Galatians 6:2). Why should there be instructions like these if we are to mingle only with people who we can get along with? The challenge of Jesus' commandment comes when unloveable people are in our midst. Are we gonna follow HIS commandment or are we gonna complain why God created too many malfunctioning individuals and placed them in our paths?

We've been occupied by judging the sins of others around us that are pretty more evident than ours that we fail to judge our own character and attitude. We even quarantine ourselves from them ― trying to isolate ourselves from being contaminated by their filthiness...forgetting that Jesus did not isolate Himself. HE called sin SIN and sinners SINNERS yet not with judgment but with HOPE that they will one day become the persons God intends them to be. Jesus walked here on Earth. The same contaminated world where we currently are. But, in stead of the world infecting HIM, HE infected the world. He said, “I did not come into the world to judge people. I came to save the people in the world." (John 12:47, ERV) We are not created to save people. But, we are instructed to be "imitators of Christ" (Ephesians 5:1). Live a life of love. Love others just as Christ loved us. He gave himself for us—a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice to God (v2).

Of'times, I ask myself why many Christians remain self-righteous pointing fingers at others only because those people are struggling with certain sins. Why aren't they seeing through God's Eyes? Why are they still living like the Pharisees who are mostly into rules and regulations that are so hard for humans to follow because they are by nature sinners? Why, instead of helping people be released from sin, guilt and shame...they are the ones causing them to get stranded in that mire? Why, as Christians, we're still surprised that other Christians are struggling with sin? Aren't we reading the Word? Have we not yet realized that even Jesus' apostles struggled in unbelief and many other sins even when Jesus was walking with them? Jesus even knew about what to take place but allowed them to commit those mistakes ― Peter denied Jesus, Judas betrayed Him, etc. ― Because HE wasn't focused on the sin but on the fulfillment of His own purpose. It's actually interesting how Jesus even told Judas, “What you will do—do it quickly!” (John 13:27, ERV)

Jesus walked on Earth without making it hard for people to live the Christian life. HE set the standard with HIS life as an example. HE allowed them to be their selves, and change at their own pace while growing in the love of God. It is God's love fully experienced that causes changed lives. When all we do is highlight how wrong people are, we're only pressuring them to be what we THINK they ought to be NOT what God wants them to be. When we do not stop judging and condemning, all we'll end up creating is a place of hypocrisy ― people wearing masks for fear they will not have anywhere to go to.

We are on a contaminated planet. It is contaminated on every level. It should have been quarantined from Heaven. No reasonable God would go near it with a ten-foot pole. But, Jesus is not a reasonable God. He became a human being. HE took on your uncleanliness and mine. In stead of the world infecting Him, He infected the world.

The final breakthrough to fellowship does not occur because, though they have fellowship with one another as believers and as devout people, they do not have fellowship as the undevout...as sinners. The pious fellowship permits no one to be a sinner. So, everybody must conceal his sin from himself and from the fellowship. We dare not be sinners. Many Christians are unthinkably horrified when a real sinner is suddenly discovered among the righteous. So, we remain alone with our sin, living in lies and hypocrisy. The fact is that we are sinners.
― Love Beyond Reason by John Ortberg

It is not a question how big or small your sin may be. The Word says, "whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." (James 2:10) There is no other way to call "breaking a commandment" but SIN. Almost every second, we break Christ's commandment ― "love one another" (John 13:34) ― by judging others. By making Christianity hard for them. Are we just gonna watch a person while he drowns and just state how wrongly he made choices that's why he's drowning? Do spiritual quarantine because they're contaminated and they might infect us? Do we really underestimate the power of Christ in us that we fear we're powerless in fighting temptation? That we're afraid of leprosy...of germs? Jesus healed. And Jesus still heals...through Christians, His followers. Where are they? Where are His followers? Why are we Christians acting like Pharisees and Sadducees isolating ourselves from sinners in order to be set apart? Isn't our righteousness from Christ alone? Aren't we justified because of Jesus' death on the Cross of Calvary? And...aren't we sinners? Christians are saints who sin. Not entirely by choice but because by nature humans are. For as long as we're in the flesh, we cannot separate ourselves completely from sin. It's an every second denying of self, which everyone of us find hard to do. If our salvation is by grace then why aren't we gracious to those who are badly in need of it? What about Jesus' commandment?

Is't because someone's a stealer does it make you far better because you're only struggling with temperament? Your neighbor's an adulterer and you're just a gossip? Someone you know's a murderer and you're only a sluggard?

"God sees with utter clarity who we are. HE is undeceived as to our warts and wickedness. But when God looks at us, that's not all HE sees. He also sees who we are intended to be, who we will one day become."

Let's see through HIS Eyes. Let's infect this contaminated world with love...not with judgment...not with hate...not with self-righteousness... "In Jesus, we see that true spirituality always makes a person more approachable, not less. It is in the act of touch that we become most present and real to each other."

"Everyday you and I walk through God's shop. Everyday, we brush up against objects of incalculable worth to Him. People. Every one of them carries a price tag, if only we could see it."