Why it really does matter…
We talked here about poor Peter, who tripped up on the fear of man and found himself doing stupid stuff. We’ve all been there. But here is the sobering part of the story:
After Peter pulled away from the Gentiles and separated himself by only eating with Jews, Galatians 2:13 says the “rest of the Jews” and even Barnabas were “carried away” by Peter’s behavior.
Everyone followed Peter in this! This is why this is so dangerous.
This is why we must change.
This is why it really does matter.
All that we do affects others. Whether you feel like it or not, you are a leader.
Passages like this scare me – I blog, I write, I teach a lot. And no matter how much we love Jesus and are used by Him to spread the gospel, we are all vulnerable to the fear of man and hypocrisy. And it’s worth nothing that this happened to Peter even after Pentecost. Even after the supernatural indwelling by the Holy Spirit. No matter how spirit-filled and powerfully anointed we are by God, we are all susceptible to the fear of man and hypocrisy. We have to be on guard.
The question for us is, Who am I possibly “leading astray” by actions?
See, everything that we do “preaches” something, right? Remember we are the only Bibles some people will read.
While we wouldn’t dream of going around and knocking on people’s doors and preaching a false gospel to them, would we walk around living a false gospel for them?
The pure and true gospel message can be tarnished and polluted by our false living just as much as by our false teaching. Just as Paul was opposing the Judaizers who were false teach-ers, he was opposing hypocrites who were false live-ers.
Our simple guiding question: What does this action “preach” about my God? Does it validate the gospel or invalidate? Does it add weight and credibility to Christ’s message, or does it erode the beautiful foundation Jesus laid?
How am I helping or hindering the precious souls God has put in my path?
CS Lewis said it like this:
It may be possible for each to think too much of his own potential glory hereafter; it is hardly possible for him to think too often or too deeply about that of his neighbor. The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbor’s glory should be laid daily on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken.
It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare.
All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization–these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit–immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.
This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously–no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinner–no mere tolerance or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment. Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses.
That’s why it really does matter. We’re helping everyone get somewhere. What does your life preach?
{Feeling the healthy weight of this with you … thanks for reading.}
Because there's only one way to have old friends …
We were inseparable that year: Janae, Courtney, Bernadette and me, four freshman at OSU on the 5th floor of McNary Hall. We had weekly Ben & Jerry’s runs, lots of late nights huddling in the dorm-kitchen (the only place that was warm) and way too many times discovering that the boys had switched around the peephole on our door. So when the year came to a close it was Janae who suggested the idea:
“We could all live together–with four other girls–at Red Door next year.”
Hmm… I’d only met Brita and Hannah once or twice.
I’d never even met Zephyr or Jill.
And what on earth was Red Door?
“Sure!”
{I miss that endearing quality of college students–game for anything, even rooming with strangers!}
The day I moved in I met Zephyr for the first time. She was 6-feet tall barefoot and totally gorgeous. Jill was a smarty weather-girl who did the forecast for the Eugene news. Hannah and Brita were bubbling with smiles and always laughing and I soon discovered the gold-mind of Brita’s closet. (I miss the blessings of our open-closet policy!)
Mindy’s name wasn’t on the lease but she camped on our couch and brought the greatest conversations and thought-provoking questions. Chelle came after I moved out, but our lives crossed over so much it felt like we’d shared a room.
And that made 10 RDGs.
Before we moved in I learned the story of the Red Door Girls. An old, quaint house right off the campus at OSU housed generations of Christian girls, a legacy I knew nothing about until I was so blessed to become part of it myself. Just another example of how God’s gifts find us.
Without really knowing it, we were handed down a legacy of hospitality, joy, purity and faith. Our home was like a warm embrace, and it was always full. We had weekend dance parties and weekly Bible studies. Fresh cookies by the dozens flowed from our kitchen. There were always boys — lots of them — lingering in the sunroom or lounging on the couch, enjoying a cookie, a smile, a conversation, or just a long afternoon in a peaceful house that smelled better than their own. Jeff Patterson appeared every so often, but only because his best friend, Benjy, was marrying my housemate Zephyr (the one I’d never met).
So funny how things work together.
That was almost 13 years ago, when Janae made the simple suggestion that changed the course of our lives. Since that time we have celebrated every wedding (all 10!) and the birth of every single baby.
Twenty-one babies to be exact.
Yes, these ten girls have multiplied. We are now 41 in all. Ten girls, ten spouses, and 21 children birthed in just 7 years (and one more on the way!). And just recently we had the honor of all gathering together for a New Year celebration. We were only missing three husbands, two children, and one RDG.
Not bad.
I had no idea what I was getting into that day 13 years ago when I said, “Sure!”
I had no idea the friendship, joy, love, and blessing I’d receive. I had no idea that these strangers in my house would become soul-mates in my heart. I had no idea that this Zephyr, who I’d never met, would marry a man named Benjy who was the very man who led Jeff Patterson to Christ.
I just had no idea.
But isn’t that how it always is? We never have any idea what God is doing in the mundane moments of life. We, I, so often cling to all that is familiar, controlled. How often do I look into a complete unknown and simply say, “Sure!”?
But what if we did? What if we gave that new relationship a shot? A real go? We all love old friends but the only way to have old friends is to spend a long time with new ones.
Right?
I’m thankful. I think that’s what I’m saying. I’m thankful to be a RDG (and the RDGs that followed us are blessed women as well!) and thankful that even when I had no clue, God’s gracious gifts came and found me.
How have God’s gifts found you when you least expected it? And in what unknown situation or new relationship could you say “Sure!” … believing He has something sacred in store? Thanks all for reading, and to my dear Red Door sisters, I love you beyond words!
