Saturday, October 27, 2007

so maybe...

The "sinner's prayer" doesn't save people. Wait. Hold on a minute.

Maybe we save people by acting in love, God's love, towards them. The disciples never led anyone in a special prayer. People came to be saved by living as a christian, by claiming that Jesus is Lord. (Kinda like the Bible says...) Maybe little acts we do towards people draws them nearer to God than any prayer.

Ok, so it says that God has forgiven everyone, yes? That the only "unforgivable sin" anyone can commit is to reject Jesus. So, instead of focusing on all of the "bad things" we've done in order to know God, why aren't we showing people Love? And in showing them Love, the way to live in Love. The way to know Love (aka God).

I met a homeless man today while I was doing laundry. He talked to me for a little while outside of a coffee place downtown (next to the coin-op). The people at the table next to us were casting sidelong glances, ready to spring into action. After he left they asked me if I was alright. Because I listened to a lonely homeless man for 10 minutes. They made me feel like I'd commited some unspeakable act.

Cold shoulders and sneers must get old pretty quick. There are a lot of men like that who come by the coffee shop where I work. Sometimes they're given food, usually they just ask for a glass of water. I don't know this man's past. He has one, though. We all do, don't we? Maybe we should give the same amount of respect to everyone. Can you love someone without respecting them? Without acknowledging the fact that we're all human, we all have history, and it's not all pretty. We're in different places in life, but what does that have to do with our worth as people?

Just some thoughts from the day. Blessings.

1 comment:

mmichele said...

great thoughts.

keep thinking!