Friday, October 29, 2010

Comfortable in our skin

The apostle Peter wrote to some early Christians and his words strike a very familiar pose:

He wrote: "I have a special concern for you church leaders. I know what it's like to be a leader, in on Christ's sufferings as well as the coming glory. Here's my concern: that you care for God's flock with all the diligence of a shepherd. Not because you have to, but because you want to please God. Not calculating what you can get out of it, but acting spontaneously. Not bossily telling others what to do, but tenderly showing them the way.

"When God, who is the best shepherd of all, comes out in the open with his rule, he'll see that you've done it right and commend you lavishly. And you who are younger must follow your leaders. But all of you, leaders and followers alike, are to be down to earth with each other, for — God has had it with the proud, but takes delight in just plain people. So be content with who you are, and don't put on airs. God's strong hand is on you; he'll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you."

Let's break it down:
If you are in any way a leader in a church, Peter tells you to
1) Care for the flock;
2) Do it because you want to, not because you have to;
3) As you lead, also be one of the team, one of the "guys;"
4) Be content with who you are, content in your own skin.

Being content with who you are is the secret to much success, I believe. If God is comfortable with you as you are, and scripture says he will meet you right where you are, it seems you should be also though I know that is often not the case.

Many of us want to look better, feel better, have more money, have more things, have more, be more, try more, work more. We want to be younger, be more athletic, be more able.

This is why instead of a chicken in every pot, today we have a treadmill in every home. Mostly they are used as coat racks.

In Ephesians 2:10, NLT, the Bible says you are "God's masterpiece." That being true, doing all that we do to change seems a bit blasphemous, doesn't it? How can we improve on a masterpiece? Why should we? Doesn't that speak to our own lack of confidence, our own lack of comfort in ourselves.

In other words, if God is satisfied, who are we to remake ourselves in a selfish manner?

It is imperative that we become comfortable in our own skin. The reason bullying of gay people -- or black people or skinny people or fat people or bald people or old people or whomever -- causes such harm is that the person being bullied isn't comfortable in his or her own skin for any number of reasons. They've grown up feeling inadequate, taught they're inadequate, taught they are worthless in many cases. If you're told that enough, you believe it.

Just that bit of uncomfortable-ness exploited by the bully is enough to cause suicide attempts with some. It causes fear in others. It causes hiding in still others. It does not cause repentance in most cases, as some need to do.

Job says, "It's true that God is all-powerful, but he doesn't bully innocent people. For the wicked, though, it's a different story— he doesn't give them the time of day, but champions the rights of their victims. He never takes his eyes off the righteous; he honors them lavishly, promotes them endlessly. When things go badly, when affliction and suffering descend, God tells them where they've gone wrong, shows them how their pride has caused their trouble. He forces them to heed his warning, tells them they must repent of their bad life. If they obey and serve him, they'll have a good, long life on easy street."

In the Proverbs book of wisdom, we read, "Don't walk around with a chip on your shoulder, always spoiling for a fight. Don't try to be like those who shoulder their way through life. Why be a bully? "Why not?" you say. Because God can't stand twisted souls. It's the straightforward who get his respect."

And "Whoever sows sin reaps weeds, and bullying anger sputters into nothing."

Be comfortable being who you are. God reaches down and captures you, as you allow Him to, exactly where you are and who you are. He expects you to change over time, becoming more Christ-like, but He does not demand that you change immediately. Change, by the way, is not repentance.

We are saved (changed, given a new destination eternally) by the grace and mercy of God. We repent -- turn away from our sin -- by accepting that grace and mercy.

Today understand that as ministers of God, as we all are, we are to watch over the flock. Watching over means understanding, means loving, means demanding that the bullying stop, means being comfortable in our own skin so that others my be comfortable in their own skin. Again, it doesn't mean that the person doesn't sin or that the person should be comfortable sinning. It means that despite our sinfulness, we understand that God loves us. Leighton Ford says, “God loves us the way we are, but too much to leave us that way”

God so loved the world, the scriptures tell us. Even those whose sin makes it impossible for God to look upon us. He gave us Jesus for that very reason.

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