Like John beat Peter in a footrace to the tomb on Easter morning, some folks outpaced me on the way out of some unhelpful and simply false teachings. And of course, I judged them harshly when they did, citing that they’d “left the faith,” or “compromised with the world” or whatever other ignorant and groundless bloviations emerged from my ever-loquacious lips.
HOW THE TURNTABLES…
Now the shoe’s on the other foot, and folks have been saying the same of me for a couple of years now, with murmurings and musings about how I’ve “compromised” and “left the faith.” Just like I used to say. One pastor even went so far as to repeatedly declare in private and in public that I am leading my family and my church to hell. It’s sick and it’s sad, but I suppose there’s a poetic justice in all of this. Sowing and reaping, as they say.
I don’t begrudge the slanderers for this. Not really. I used to be just like them, and I sang the same refrains of hostility and detest as they do now. Instead, all I can do is hope they break free of the same man-made dreck that once ruled my heart and catch up with (and maybe even overtake) me, because — like John and Peter — I’m racing toward Jesus. We all should be.
His yoke? Easy. His burden? Light. His Gospel? Beautiful and full of hope.
It’s my hope that people will run with me toward Jesus. And maybe at the end, we’ll be able to say with Paul that we’ve finished our race. We ran the whole course and didn’t drop out. And I have a very strong suspicion that we’ll also say that it was worth it all in the end.
NOW ABOUT THOSE SCARS
Someone once said that when Christ returns, he won’t be checking for trophies or accomplishments — he’ll be checking for scars. I couldn’t agree more with this sentiment. Not that I think Christ will have some sort of gilded magnifying glass through which he’ll examine us for marring or anything, obviously — rather, this sort of statement reminds us that the Christian life, this race of sorts, is a cruciform one.
So what I mean by my quixotic title is that if you’re running the race toward Jesus, you’re going to pick up a scar or two. Or three. And quite a few of them, if not most of them, might very well come from the slings and arrows of those who also profess Christ. This has certainly been my experience. It was the Apostle Paul’s experience, too, you know.
So if there’s anything I can urge you to do, it’s run. Toward Jesus. And away from whatever isn’t Christlike, in doctrine, deed, or word. You’ll pick up some race scars along the way. I sure have. But I’d rather bear those than any of the accolades or accomplishments that used to matter so much to me.
Because those scars, much like the ones that Jesus bears, are forever.
