September 13, 2007

  • ...but am I willing?

    God deems that people are worth dying for.  This means all people have incredible value.

    -- and if this is a universal truth, doesn't that mean I need to be willing to die for people too?  Yes, they are worthy to die for - but am I willing?  It feels that this question must follow hard after that truth.  It seems that this truth requires life-change. 

    People are worth dying for -- so what am I gonna do about it?  It puts boundless VALUE on a human being.  A person has intrinsic value.  This needs to change the way I look at and perceive people, the way I think about them, the way I talk to them, the way I treat them -- whether they are well-dressed or disgusting slobs, whether they are handsome or homely, perfectly shaped or perfectly disproportional, fragrant or foul smelling, clean cut or with a dozen piercings, tattoos or purple lime-green hair, rich or poor...  Every single person - whether they're well put together or falling to pieces on the surface, friendly or hateful, kind or cruel, good or wicked - is worth dying for.  How do I know this?  Because Jesus died for every single one.

    It's hard for me though.  I have to admit it.  It's hard for me to see this great value in a person the way that Christ does - because I am turned off by surface stuff.  If someone is ill-tempered, angry and vulgar, I just think, "How awful are they!" and take steps away from them.  I don't think about how Jesus died for them, and it's the furthest thing from my mind to consider dying for them.  But the reality is that Christ's resurrection calls for this very thing from me...  But how do I take steps toward this?