Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Costly

"One Million Workers. 90 Million iPhones. 17 Suicides. Should we care?" This was the cover of Wired magazine this month. The article chronicled the working conditions in China where iPhones are made. Interesting and surprising read. Or is it? We all know that the products we enjoy in this country - everything from our favorite shirt to the phone stuck to our hand - has the label "Made in China/Bangladesh/India" on it. We routinely ignore these labels. Even with stories like this one, we ponder for a moment and then conveniently forget the real cost of our stuff. These are countries where there are no mandatory posting of workers' rights, and the word union has little or no meaning. Let's face it. We love our stuff and the only cost we truly care about is what we see on our bank statement.

But the true cost of our stuff isn't the only area where we ignore the subtle costs that relate to the critical areas of life. What is the true cost of a husband regularly tuning out his wife in favor of Sportscenter? Intimacy. Growth. What is the true cost of busyness? Burnout. Stress. What is the true cost of three trips to McDonald's every week? Trips to the doctor. Angioplasty. Deep down we know that these possibilities can become realities if we continue ignoring the risks. But the cost of change is the most difficult for us to accept. Changing our behavior is not comfortable. It's painful and hard work. The idea sounds great, but when it costs us something, our excitement wains.

I guess that's what Jesus was talking about in Luke 14 when he said, "Sit down and count the cost." Deciding to follow him is a serious decision. Say yes to Christ and his teachings only if you are willing to embrace ALL of his teachings and weave them into the very fabric of your being. If you don't calculate the changes necessary, it will cost you. You will be frustrated, unfulfilled and disappointed. In the end, you won't change and everyone will see you as a fraud.

A life following Christ is one that embraces the cost of change. I cannot forget who made me, and certainly can't forget who transformed me. And when I begin to depart from Christ's teachings, mess up or forget my purpose, it is His grace and forgiveness that reshapes me once again. This is a costly process. It costs me my pride, my desires, my independence and more. I don't always give up those things in a timely fashion or without a fight, but when I do, it's worth it.

Just like Jesus' followers in Luke 14 needed wake up calls, so do we. Sometimes it's a doctor's visit. Other times it's a heart to heart with a loved one. Wired reported that once the suicides reached double digits, Apple decided they needed to change some working conditions. That's a costly wake up call. Fortunately, a Christ follower who is faithful in the community and prayer/devotional life has two advisors that will prevent such a costly wake up call. The first is the Holy Spirit who is our "Counselor" and will nudge us gently when we start to forget the cost of our actions. The other is our faith community, or as the New Testament consistently refers, the power of "one another." Fellow Christ followers must also nudge one another when they start down a path that will prove costly. God has built in these safeguards because He knows the difficult nature of counting the cost.

I guess that's what I love the most about this journey. Yea, it's costly. But I'm not walking alone. And as someone who lived life without Real Life Change before, I know the rewards are worth it!

Friday, March 4, 2011

The Church of Hate

A few nights ago, my wife and I were watching the news when they began covering the Supreme Court decision regarding activities of the Westboro Baptist Church. The group who has tormented and antagonized countless people. Most recently, their target has become the families of our fallen heroes. I understand why the Supreme Court protected their speech, although like the majority of people, found myself shaking my head once again at the ridiculously hateful methods of this so called Church. As I'm shaking my head, my wife asks, what's your stance on this church?
Up until that point, I hadn't thought about it much past my frustration and anger towards them. I had wondered what I would do if they showed up at a friends funeral or elsewhere in Omaha and I was nearby. I'm not a violent person, but honestly, I would have to hold myself back from beating the love of Jesus into them (many people have had to do this already). Seriously, I wouldn't act on that, but that's the first thing that comes to mind for me. But that is what hate can produce - anger and more sin.
The Apostle John said "For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another." (I John 3:11) Obviously, Westboro Baptist has no intention of spreading love. Their message of hate and judgement is light years away from the message of forgiveness, grace and transformation that Christ taught and lived. Even more, John also reminds us that "God is love." With this in mind, it is clear that not only is their message void of love, but also they themselves are not of God. In fact, the best characterization of what they represent is found in I John 3:14, where John reminds us that "whoever does not love abides in death." So it's rather a cruel irony that this group is spending so much time at funerals.
I doubt many would argue that Westboro Baptist is a group who is hateful and not of God. But I think the deeper issue is one that is so often overlooked. As I studied scripture and thought about this group, I began to think of the word "twisted." Ever had someone intentionally twist your words and used them to hurt someone else? That is what is happening here. The group from Westboro is deceptively and hatefully twisting God's Word - which has great power and truth - and in doing so, has inflected a great deal more hurt than what an ordinary Joe would. For the sake of their own agenda and publicity, they have carved out small slivers of scripture in order to justify their methods and message. But this twisted message is the worst kind. When the true Word of God is twisted and manipulated, the wounds often go deeper because the wounded then begin to wonder why people from a "church" would do this, and even more, why a God of love would allow this? But the reality is, the source of this deception is "the Father of Lies." Westboro Baptist is not working on behalf of God, but for Satan himself. And his goal is to steal, kill and destroy. Make no mistake, this group is on a mission of destruction by way of hate.
How do we respond? Not surprisingly, it starts with love, especially for those who are being wounded. Most of us can't do this personally, but we can pray for the families of soldiers and the many others who are targeted (the list is long). This is what Paul talked about in 2 Corinthians when he called believers to pray and "pull down strongholds." The other prayer is for Westboro. Yes, Jesus said that we must "love our enemies" and "pray for those who persecute you." Pray for the children who are growing up in this mess and for God's swift justice (Luke 18:18) to come down on the leaders of this group.
The most important thing to remember is that no matter how much hatred this group spews, the love of God "never fails" (I Cor. 13:13). The true followers of Christ must share His truth, grace and love. Then, God's light will shine through this darkness.