I remember it like it was yesterday. I was standing outside church talking to Richard who was a year older than me. I had heard that he was thinking about going to a school dance and that was a big no-no.
“You aren’t going to go to prom are you?”
“Yeah, I am. It’s my junior prom and I don’t think I should miss it.”
“But, we have an alternative. You can get dressed up and hop on a bus and go to Atlanta. Plus you will be kicked off Youth Council.”
“I don’t care anymore. I’m going to my prom.”
That pretty much sums up my experience with legalism. The pressure to perform and act a certain way could be compared to trying to throw a perfect pass to win the Super Bowl. Eyes were constantly watching and questioning. A relationship with God was an obligation, not a blessing.
By the way, he did get kicked off Youth Council.
Fast forward 13 years.
I have a friend with a rather large house. There are at least 4 bedrooms that are empty every night. One night I was talking to a friend and I said, “It just seems like a waste. There are so many homeless that could be sleeping in those rooms.” My friend turned to me and said, “Wes, I’m sure you will have an empty couch tonight and you probably have a closet full of clothes that you aren’t wearing.”
Social Justice is becoming the new legalism. We look at people and their efforts to change the world and we judge. We get mad that they aren’t doing what we are. We set up tests to find out how much people really care. We judge them for judging those less fortunate. And we do it all in the name of “being the hands and feet of Christ.”
The question now becomes, how do we stop it?
We can start with showing each other a little grace. My friend was right that my couch was empty every night. How am I different from someone with 10 rooms open? How was it my job to fill someone else’s home?
If comparing your spiritual maturity to others is a bad idea, how in the world is comparing your service to others a good idea?
Show the same grace to your brother in Christ that you are showing to the least of these. That’s at least a start.
**NOTE – I did not come up with this idea, just going further with it as it pertains to my experiences. As my co-workers quickly pointed out, Pete Wilson actually has talked about this same thing.**
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