In Progress...

To illustrate my point, I will share with you some of the people who I had sinful attitudes against that I had to repent of.

1. I used to not like men with hairy ears and noses.
2. I used to not like men who wear pastel colors.
3. I used to not like canadians.
4. I used to not like men who wear tank-tops.
5. I used to not like men who wear mullets.
   
6. I used to not like men who wear white socks with dark pants.
7. I used to not like minivans.

I know this all sounds terrible, and it is. But I'd appreciate your being honest also and admitting that you too have your list of people whom you dislike. You probably think that your list is better than mine because it has abortion doctors, rapists, pedophiles, corporate thieves, used-car salesman, politicians, and evil dictators on it. But the fact that we each have a list means that we are all pretty much the same, and are just haggling over the details of who should wear the white hats, and who should wear the black. This also helps explain the finger-pointing both in the church and in the culture between blacks and whites, young and old, rich and poor, ugly and beautiful, smart and dumb, urban and rural, self-help and self-acceptance, victims and perpetrators, Republicans and Democrats, Chevy and Ford, Mac and PC, married and single, homosexual and heterosexual, male and female and educated and uneducated to name a few. The bottom line is that we are all self-righteous. We are all prone to secretly believe that we are somehow better than others because of things we do or do not do.

But the more we understand the concept of reformission, the more we realize that everyone is unlovely, Jesus loves everyone, and it is his love alone that makes us lovely.

From the book Radical Reformission.

Labels: For Discussion...