We are the body, not the bacteria

Hey guys,

Tonight God really inspired me to share something that has been on my heart and mind for a while but I just hadn't said anything about. I am not perfect by any means, and I am guilty of what I am about to rant about, but it needs to be said.

A dear friend of mine told me about feeling left out among a tight group of Christians and how discouraging that was to her. I have felt the same way and I believe nearly everybody has felt that way before. We all can agree on how imperative it is to make people feel welcome in the church (not just building, but any gathering of believers) that are not usually there. We are told to love our neighbor before ourselves and if we love people, of course we are going to reach out to them. Of course this does not always happen but that's not the issue I'm addressing tonight. What I'd like to touch upon instead is the sneaky little problem that churches in general seem to have. Most people I know do not intend on making anybody feel left out, and of course we are going to naturally like some people a whole lot more than others; it's not a cotton-candy and glitter fairy land. That's the thing though... we are not called to be like the world. This should not stop at trying to "convert the nonbelievers", but should continue to invest into the people who are already there.

There is too much of a clique problem in the church. We are to be the Body of Christ; as different people contribute to fulfilling the Great Commission of spreading the word and love of God to everybody (Acts 1:8) different parts add up for the common good. To have a body, all the cells must operate together to form properly functioning organs, then systems, then, well, the entire body. How can we build a strong unity of Christians when some are alienated among other Christians??

It really is ridiculus, I'm going to go ahead and say. When I was little, I was so left out of my group; as a child, and as a youth group member. I usually hung out with the adults because the kids hardly gave me the time of day for the most part. It is not because they had anything against me, I don't think, just that there were others that were way "cooler" and just more interesting of a person than me. That's okay, I get that, but seriously? When you see one person who is repeatedly picked on or totally neglected, would Jesus have thought, "Ah, I could talk to them, but: my friends may be like "ew.", I would rather talk to this person, they follow me like a lost puppy if I give them too much attention, etc, etc. Even if you are just kind of shy, you know they have to be feeling that way too. I have been on a soapbox lately. After so many years of a wallflower existence, I have recently been coming out of my shell, and people have responded well to my efforts. There are still those times when I feel kind of out of sync though. What really gets to me is when people like my friend, and others I see so often, are ignored or not treated so kindly, or are simply overlooked because that same friend that others see a million times a day happens to be on the opposite side of the room or whatever. I'm good at coming up with the lame reasons because I use those too.

I am changing though. God really has been showing me that I have an eye for people who feel left out and that as I can relate, I need to be hanging with those people. Often, I end up making awesome, genuine friendships with people because I did give them a chance. I have also missed out on many more opportunities because I did not approach them in my own awkwardness or selfishness. In conclusion, we are not simply supposed to focus our energy on infecting people with our Christianity, then leave them there to rot away as soon as the world starts kicking their butt. We are the body of Christ, and as the body, we must help take care of every single part. Our mission of simply loving and encouraging people who have been Christians for hundreds of years already can be way more important at that time than being a missionary in South East Asia. This is why people carry high sentiments about the church; it is not often a place of unity. Instead of focusing so much on spreading out like bacteria, we really need to focus internally. If the body is ill, we won't be going anywhere. And be encouraged, God knows how difficult it is to live with so many people pursuing the same goal. He also gives us that patience with people that clash with us. No matter how difficult a person may be, they are still a beautiful person with a soul worth all the love in the world. Remember that next time you want to dodge that annoying person or Debbie-Downer ninja style and instead go talk to them for a bit and say hey. That gesture is enough to remind them that they belong and that they are loved :D