Hope they don’t go to our church!??
My wife said it on the drive to church one Sunday morning when I honked at the people in the
car in front of us.
(In fact, she’s said it several times when I’m cruising up Airline Hwy.)
It’s not that there are people who aren’t, as one pastor I worked with said, “Our kind of people.”
She doesn’t look down on anyone, that I know of.
She didn’t say it because she doesn’t like other people going to “our” church.
She said it because I’d honked at them when they didn’t move quickly enough after the light changed to green at one of the intersections. She was afraid of what they might say when we had to face them in the parking lot of the church.
I pointed out that if they did show up there, I’d be more than happy to tell them how they need to pay more attention to their driving.
Not true . . . I would have been embarrassed, too. And apologetic.
Aren’t we all innocent?
Of course, I’ve never done anything like what they’ve done. I’m always attentive to my driving at every level . . . right!
Of course, I wasn’t thinking about when I zoned out an entire green light a week earlier. It didn’t mean I was wrong like the person in front of me. NO-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!!!
The Doctrine of “Um.”
Since then, during moments when I’ve been more rational, I’ve thought about the truth of the statement I heard from a preaching professor: “We all read the Bible being very conscious of how it applies to everyone else, but we don’t see the application for ME.” He called it the doctrine of, “Um.”
You know. When someone is sitting in the pew thinking, “Give it to Um, preacher!” Or, “Tell um about it!” Or maybe, “Let Um know about how wrong they are, and step on their toes so they hurt real bad. Don’t let Um off easy!!”
What I need to remember is that those commandments, instructions and encouragements in the Bible were written for me, whether or not they apply to anyone else. Um’s behavior is not my problem or my business.
My business is ME.
Those drivers. Those “hypocrites that fill the church.” Those people out there. They are not my problem. My problem is ME!
Make no doubt about it. Probably the biggest reason Christians are called “hypocrites” is because we get so caught up pointing fingers at everyone else’s mistakes, shortcomings and bad choices, while we don’t spend enough time taking care of ourselves . . . ME.
So . . . whatchagonnado?![Steeple]()
” Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” –James 5:16
Let’s take a huge step forward as the Body of Christ on earth. Let’s become a collective support group by dealing with our own shortcoming and not everyone else’s. Let’s take a chance on being honest about self and not spend our time thinking about, or talking about, what’s wrong with “Um.”
(Ouch! I think I hurt my own toes!)
What are your thoughts about “Um?”
Leave your comments for our consideration.
