they will know us by our love...

on the way to church this morning, we were passing by another church (of which i will not disclose the denomination) when a young couple, who had just parked their car across the street, were dodging through trafffic trying to get across the street to said church. i think they were a little late. any way, i made eye contact with the guy, who was in front of his girlfriend/wife/whatever. we had one of those awkward moments like you have when you are walking and you realize you are about to collide with someone. you both move to the side to miss each other, but you both go the same direction. then, for a moment, you both try to figure out which way to go. it was one of those instances. i had started to go as the couple approached my car, then i saw maybe they wanted to go in front of us, so I stopped. the guy then appeared that he was going to go behind the car, so i kind of hesitated for a moment. just then (i had the windows rolled down), the guy approaches the car waving me on, and i hear him say, "ah, go on... jerk off."

um, excuse me? you are running across the street through oncoming traffic, which has the right of way, calling people jerk offs. my word, man, you are in front of a church that you are going into to worship. are you kidding me? did this guy really just say that? this really upset me for a moment. i wish i had had a second to get out of my car and have a word with this guy (or maybe punch him in the face). i had one of those "scrubs" moments where i visualized it happening again, and i threw the car in reverse and ran the guy over. i realized that i needed to do some repenting as i entered the church we were going to this morning. i was still steamed about this guy, but he wasn't going to disrupt my worship.

anyhow, as i sat in worship this morning, i began thinking about this situation and something that elizabeth and i have been discussing and thinking about for a few days. we are here in a new city with no real friends yet. as we meet people, how do they know that we are christians, since the majority of the people we meet aren't in church on sunday? and how do we find good christian friends? really, what is it that sets christians apart from everyone else? everyone seems the same, you know? we are all sinful... broken... hurting... struggling to get by. are we just another "good person?" sometimes even we christians run to our churches, calling people jerk offs on the way.

maybe it just takes time through relationships to really show this, but i just think that there has to be a love that is shown at all times for us christians. there is a steadiness to living a life of faith. there is patience. there is hope. there is joy. there is kindness and compassion. there is peace. there is a completeness that isn't in life lived without God. but i have to ask myself how i am doing at showing these things. do they know me by the love i show? i desperately don't want to be "that guy." maybe we should be more careful with our words and actions...

love in Christ,
jw


a blurry downtown pittsburgh from mt. washington... this is why i need a slr camera!