LEARNING TO LAY IT DOWN

“You know right from wrong, you just don’t care…and that’s the most natural
thing in the world.” So shared Roy Scheider’s character in the movie Romeo is Bleeding,
when his young protégé wrestled with a moral choice. His words hit close to home,
indeed most of us know what we should do, but we often choose not to do it.

Asked how her charity made decisions, Mother Theresa responded, “We are
committed to feed Christ who is hungry, committed to clothe Christ who is naked,
committed to take in Christ who has no home-and to do all this with a smile on our face
and bursting with joy…But the important thing is not to try to do everything…I don’t
have time to do everything…only those things pleasing to Christ.”

Clearly her moral compass pointed towards true north as she understood life is
about giving and loving. In Jesus’ words, she had learned how to lay down her life for
another.

Yet it is easy to be distracted from these truths and instead get caught up in the
trivial and the mundane, be it celebrity gossip or water cooler stories. It has been rightly
said that often we get angry about the wrong things, and don’t get angry about the right
things.

Author and speaker Tony Compolo poignantly made this point by opening
sermons at different chapels by sharing; “The United Nations reports that over 10,000
people starved to death today, and most of you don’t care.” Then he would swear. After
waiting a moment he would continue, “What is even more tragic is that most of you are
more concerned that I just used a swear word, than that 10,000 people died of starvation
today.” Sadly Compolo was proved right time and again as people would express anger
over his choice of illustration. Few realized they had just made his point.

The question for us is about asking how our lives can be given to a cause that is
greater than our own life. When challenges in the world no longer move us, we need to
realign with our true north and take a fresh look around and see how we can make a
difference. To “not care” may be the most natural thing in the world, but we need a
higher standard, and a commitment to feed Christ who is hungry, to clothe Christ who is
naked, and to take in Christ who has no home.

When we do, amazingly we will find that we were never alone in our efforts.
When missionary David Livingstone sailed to Africa, his friends shared their concern for
his safety. To one man who was especially vocal, Livingstone read from his Bible the
words of Jesus, “Lo, I am with you always.” Closing the book Livingstone smiled and
said, “That, my friend, is the word of a gentleman…So let us be going.” Truly, let us be
going, and may we find it the most natural thing in the world.
Tobin Crenshaw, Pastor
Hartville Church of the Brethren