This is long…much too long for a status, but it all needs to be said, so I’ll be as brief as possible. I believe I was about 11 years old when I informed my mom that I wanted to be Baptist. I had been baptized Catholic and had received every sacrament as I should, but we didnt attend church regularly at that time, and the CCD curriculum was unbelievably boring. Most of my church attendance was at the Baptist church, either with my aunt or with friends. In my childish mind, I wanted to be Baptist because it was fun. The youth programs were amazing, and there was never a shortage of activities to bring people closer to God. I still remember the look on my mom’s face when she said one of the most profound things Ive ever heard in my life, and even though I didnt realize it at the time, I often look back on that moment as the moment that truly changed our lives. My mom looked at me and said, “Oh Calla, when we don’t like something, we don’t just abandon it. We try to change it. We try to make it better.” And that’s exactly what we did. From that moment, we began attending church regularly. My mom started helping with “Children’s Church,” and a couple of years later, she was named DRE at the church. We were, “making things better,” just as she promised we would. And over those past 20ish years, she has worked tirelessly and selflessly to continue to make things better. I said all of that to say this: to my mom, it has always been about making things better and improving the faithfulness of our youth. It has NEVER been about a title or being in charge or any recognition that she receives. In fact, if you know my mom at all, (and you should since she thought you were one of her closest friends for YEARS), you’d know that she hates recognition. It embarrasses her, and it makes her feel like she’s getting attention when the attention should be on God. You sir, are the one who seeks the recognition, and here’s a newsflash: IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU. It’s about God, and it’s about the kids, the SAME kids you walked out on when you refused to compromise on ANYTHING, the SAME kids that you’re now encouraging to leave their church. What kind of a man does that? Is power really that enticing? Is it worth ruining friendships and breaking apart a youth program? Is it worth losing the church that your kids grew up in? I can only speculate on the answers to any of that. Here’s what I know though: while you’re out propagandizing yourself and causing dissension in the youth program, my mom has been crying about losing the friendship that she once thought the two of you had and about the attempted destruction of a program that she’s dedicated her life to. Day after day, Ive listened to her cry. And day after day, Ive had to try to reassure her that everything will be okay, that somehow, someway, God will fix this. If you’re reading this and you’ve made it this far, then I urge you to look beyond the pride and the power and find the man that you once were. Do what God would have you do, for the first time in a long time. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-28
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 03:54:18 +0000