You know, this whole Chick-fil-a thing is bumming me out. And I'm really trying to sort through it in my mind. So why not blog a wee blog?
We went to Chick-fil-a yesterday simply because I appreciate a man who's not afraid to believe what the Bible says is true, even when it's unpopular. I appreciate that we live in a country where we can boycott and vote and petition and hope. I love living in the land of the free and the home of the brave. I'm not a redneck, a simpleton, a bigot or a hater. I'm a Christian and I like chicken.
If only it were that simple.
I feel pretty lame even trying to throw my two cents in on this thing. I'm not political. I'm not a great Bible scholar. I don't listen to FOX news or read the Huffington post. I appreciate good journalism. I'm a mom who likes to sew, cook, decorate and play jokes on my husband. I'm a student who has opinions and likes to think about stuff. I like gay people. I like being married. I don't go to Carl's Jr. because I think their ads got super trashy a few years ago. I wear Toms because I really like the idea of helping kids have shoes. I watch Modern Family and I think it's hilarious. I read James Dobson books on parenting and I really like them. I like to root for the underdog. I think bullying anyone is terrible. I believe emphatically that the Bible is true.
I didn't buy four boxes of chick'n minis in an attempt to shake my fist at the gay community. I think that's stupid. I bought them because I think it's ridiculous for the mayors of certain cities to raise such an outcry and attempt to shut down a business because of the religious beliefs of the founder. To me that's un-American and religious persecution. I wasn't standing up against anyone. I was standing up for me.
In the Bible, people frequently tried to get Jesus to weigh in on politics and they were frustrated that He wouldn't. That's the stuff of our agendas. God's agenda isn't about politics. It's about eternity. It's not about our kingdom. It's about His.
And so I can't help but remember the story in John where Jesus meets a woman about to be put to death for adultery. The Pharisees had Jesus and this woman in the midst of a crowd and they quoted Old Testament law to Him saying "Moses commanded that she be stoned" for her act of adultery. They were testing Jesus, baiting Him to say the wrong thing- either God's law is wrong or Jesus needs to agree with her death sentence.
Jesus' answer is perfect. He said "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." So Jesus, right? And in the story each one who heard what Jesus said was convicted by their conscience and they left, until it was only Jesus and this woman standing together. Jesus followed up all of this awesomeness by telling her that He doesn't condemn her either and to go and sin no more.
That's love. That's the stuff that changes lives.
My darling husband reminded me tonight that as Christians we've got the wrong idea if we think we need to get caught up in a political battle. Because the way that we "fight" ought to be to get down on our knees and seek God's face on behalf of people that He created in His image. People that He loves so much that He gave His life for them. Sin is sin. There's not a better or worse kind of sin. And we're all a part of that crew- I'm a sinner in the same way that my gay neighbor is a sinner. There is so much more going on in our world than a fight over gay marriage. People are hurting, starving, suffering and dying. Kids are being sold into sexual slavery, beaten, raped and killed- the kind of stuff that should make us sick.
We recently stopped going to a church because we felt like so many of the messages were about ripping into people who believe differently than we do. I get it- I believe that Jesus is the one and only Way, Truth and Life. But on a Sunday morning I don't want to learn about how satanic yoga is or how lame and sinful the church up the street is- I want to lift my hands and my heart in the worship of my Creator with my brothers and sisters. I'd rather focus on the beauty of what's right rather than lash out at anyone I think is wrong. I want my character and my life to be tempered by the same grace and mercy that I've found in Jesus.
A great band got it right when they sang "politics schmolitcs... it's too confusing."
