I've protected my family from climbing too high in trees, crossing the street without looking, and talking to strangers. I am a mama bear, searching the horizon, looking behind bushes, always on the prowl, looking for anyone or thing who could harm my cubs. When I really think about it I've spent an amazing amount of energy protecting my family.
I've spent a lot of time protecting them from "bad people". Kids that cuss or drink or use drugs - the unsightly, the dirty, the ill-behaved, the not-so-desirable.
This is difficult. Should we allow our children and families to be involved with sinners? Do we pull in from the outside and protect our own?
Do we share our lives with those who don't know God? Do we live from the inside out - living out of an overflow of our relationship with Christ?
When we look at the life of Christ, the answer is absolutely yes! Jesus loved, served, befriended, healed, and fed the poor, the prostitute, the adulteress, liars, thieves, and the sick.
It's true, unbelievers are a bad influence. They are sinners. Here's the deal. These children (or bag ladies, homeless, poor, Wall Street bankers, or suburban housewives) need to hear the amazing truth of the Gospel. There are unbelievers who live around us who need to know Jesus. (Truth be known, I'm a sinner.)
We aren't the ones who hold our children in God. God does! God saves and protects his sheep (our children and us).
John 10:27-29 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
Thus, I conclude: God never called us to a life of self-protection. He has called us to lay down our lives in the ministry of reconciling others to Christ.
I am so convicted. A change is necessary in my life and heart. I want to get involved with the messy, dirty, undesirable. I'm praying that God will give me a heart to intentionally build relationships with people I'm not accustomed to even noticing. I'm praying that God will compel me to give my time, energy, and money to these new relationships. I'm praying that God will bring people into my life who need to hear about him. When God does bring them, I'm praying that he will help me to be obedient.
I don't yet fully comprehend what this looks like. God give me grace to glorify you and obey!
The alternative is unthinkable. It means I have clean, well-behaved children, a nice house, good food on the table . . . a safe life - while those outside my world go on through life having never heard the truth of God's great love for them.
2 Corinthians 5:18-21 . . . God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the the message of reconciliation, Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
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