Day 25 -- Are We Each Others Keepers?

This one is a stumper for me. I have to be honest: my default position is "live and let live." I find that I'm only willing to say things to people when I'm invited into their lives to do so. If I know I have authority with someone I may assert, as gently as possible, my concern for them and then ask the person how I can help. In my role as pastor I'll call people on behavior that's destructive or cancerous for the body. But I do that because that's my role here...to protect the body from as much harm as possible, and to coach relationships of health that honor and build each other up.

But in general I'm trepidatious about asserting myself into another's sin. Part of it for me (as a Lutheran Christian) is that I'm am starkly aware of just how dirty my own hands are. I hear Jesus saying (interestingly Warren doesn't point this out) take the log out of your own eye before extracting the splinter out of another's. I wonder how that works into this matrix?

I'm reminded of a story about Mahatma Ghandi. I young mother brought her son to him on day and said, "You must tell my son to stop eating candy. He's losing his teeth because they are rotting!" Ghandi responded to the woman, "Bring your son back in two weeks, and I'll instruct him as you've instructed me too." In two weeks the woman returned and Ghandi patiently and kindly chided the boy for his excessive love of sweets and the damage it was doing to his young mouth. A friend who was looking on said to him afterwards, "Why didn't you just tell the boy what you just told him two weeks ago?" Ghandi replied, "Because two weeks I was excessively indulging sweets as well. I couldn't very well tell the boy to stop doing something that I was doing myself now could I?"

I love the integrity of this.

But Warren sounds too much like a busy-body to me, and like he's mandating it. In the body of Christ (which is specifically where he's calling us to hold each other accountable) we DO raise the bar for each other. When we see one member verbally/emotionally abusing another we may confront the abuser privately with their destructive behavior and chasten them to stop and make amends.

But I think that we engage the sin of others with a great deal of self-awareness about our own sin and fallenness...and only seek correction and call for the best from others (as well as ourselves) with the humility that comes from the awareness of the logs that are lodged in our own line of sight.

Then perhaps it might be safe to proceed.

I agree with Warren that loving each other means helping each other avoid the huge pits of life, like unforgiveness, hatred, jeolousy, inappropriate lust, etc., calling us to align ourselves with the world-serving love of Christ. And when the attitude is humility and love...an environment of accountability and correction is a beautiful thing. It is necessary regardless. But love and humility have to drive it.

Just my two cents at this late hour. A blessed rest to you all and a stellar day 25!

Grace and peace!

Pastor Nathan