Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Church doesn't save anything.

Today as I was driving to work I was behind a series of Michigan's slowest drivers. It usually doesn't bother me all that much, but they were making me late, so I was, of course, becoming frustrated. After a light I had the chance to pass the last of the slow-pokes, but as I went to pass, the lanes merged together. I quickly slowed down and zoomed behind the vehicle again. I muttered some things under my breath, upset that I almost killed these people and didn't make it past them.
I could see the driver and passenger turn around to look at me, so I gave my usual response of talking to them thinking that they can hear me. "What? I didn't do anything. You didn't die. Calm down already! Geeze!"
They stopped glancing at me, maybe they saw my lips moving and thought that I was casting a spell on them or something because when we passed a church on the left they stuck their hand out the window and pointed at me and then the church. My mouth dropped. I guess I can't expect anything less from the Bible Belt of America, but I was still shocked and appalled.
What if the person driving behind them wasn't me? Granted, they'd probably be a better driver and wouldn't have set the other driver off. But all I could think was, "What's that church going to do for me or anyone else who walks in its doors?" I have no idea the values of that church or who/what they center everything they do on. What if I were someone else and I took their well-meaning but rude advice and I went to that church? Those people in that building can't do anything for me just by themselves. The church can't help or save me and my bad driving skills in anyway.
I yelled out at the car still driving slower than my dead grandmother, "Only Christ can save or help me!" then with a really mature "Duh!" I ended our argument as I turned left on to the main street of Rockford.
Let's be honest here. How many times do we think to ourselves or out loud or through gestures that "if that person would only go talk to this person or go to church or have something hard happen in their life, then they would change." No. Maybe those things would help steer people in the right direction, but I will adamantly scream at the tops of my lungs until my face turns blue, that those things won't change the being of a person. Won't in any way make them feel less like crap. Won't in any way take away the pain that they feel as they rock back and forth in their bed at night. Won't in any way give them the peace that they wish they could feel as they go throughout their daily activities.
Only Christ. Only the man who gave up absolutely everything to show the people who constantly feel like crap that they are worthy because they are his. Because they exist. Only in him can any church or counselor or situation make a person feel like they deserve life.
Stop pointing to a distant church, get off of your butt and be the hand that you are refusing to be. Stop shifting the responsibility. You love Christ first, then maybe people won't want to ram their cars into yours.

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