Today was a very important day in my life. At 8:30 this morning, the doorbell rang. At first, I started to curse this not-yet-identified person, because my son was still sleeping, and while the doorbell kept blaring, my dog got in on the action and started barking up a storm. But fortunately, this was one of the very rare days that my son slept late, so I had already had my morning coffee, taken a long, hot shower, done my hair, and put on some decent clothes. Since I was somewhat presentable, I opened the door.
Good thing I did! There was the Fed Ex man, asking me if I wanted a computer. He had brought to my doorstep the very thing I had been dreaming about for several weeks: my new Mac Book. All the things I’ve wanted to write, but that needed a bit of extra inspiration now had a place to land. It felt like Christmas.
It is funny the things that excite us and give us inspiration. I had been checking the package tracking obsessively, and knew it was scheduled to be on my doorstep on September 19, 2007 at 10:30am. But, here it is two days earlier, and I have it in my hands. I already feel smarter! Yesterday I was just Holly; today I am Holly Mac.
But was it a true blessing? Several years ago, my husband and I went to a Christian concert at a local church. During the concert, the pastor spoke about how much God wants to bless him and make life comfortable. So comfortable, he said, that God provided him a front row-parking place at the local fair and even a free turkey leg.
It is great that God provided his need for food, and I am sure that saving a buck or two was nice, but providing a front row parking space? Come on. As much as God wants to bless us, it seems a little far-fetched that this kind of comfort is part of His plan.
If you’re shaking your head in disagreement, then consider this: If front row parking spaces are the kinds of blessings that God wants to pour out on faithful believers, then what about the believers that are being disowned from their families because of their Christian faith? What about those that are being killed at this very moment for having the faith and the courage to witness where it is against the law, under penalty of death? What about those that have left their families and moved to a different country with a different language, no water and certainly no Target? Do you think that they are thinking about where they will park their car… if they even have a car at all? Do you think that they are comfortable?
My guess would be no.
Yes, God wants to bless us. But maybe not in the way that is being preached in America. God wants to give us the desires of our hearts, but His will also needs to be accomplished. If people come to Christ with this “give me” attitude, then will they be able to lay down their lives if need be? Blessings are great; don’t get me wrong… especially if the blessing is a Mac Book or a front row parking space. But, when the blessings become our focus, we forget the real reason why we are here.
We are here to please the Lord and to reach non-believers. This life is not about us. It is not about our comfort and our rights. It is about serving and loving. Especially loving those whom it is hard to love. We do not have to go all the way around the world to share the Gospel. There are plenty of people right in your neighborhood that need to know Christ, people whom we may not associate with simply because they are too full of “sin,” and we are scared what our Christian friends might say. But if you do not show Christ’s love to the alcoholics, homosexuals, adulterers, or whoever else is in need, then how will they ever know it? Certainly screaming at them from a distance and waving the Bible will not do anything. You have to love and welcome them, even when it is uncomfortable. How can you hold the sin against them when they are not aware that they are sinning? Just remember that you were once lost as well and are still full of sin.
When I look back on the of the concert, it strikes me that this pastor’s story of comfort will be the only thing several hundred people will remember of him and the church he represented. At the end of your life, do you want it to mean more than just a front row parking space and a free turkey leg?
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