Grace and Humility (or, more appropriately, 'Why Can't We All Just Get Along?')

Disclaimer: Most of the time, I do not live out these things. This post is a prayer for myself, as well as for the rest of the Church.

I hope I live to see the day when the majority of the body of Christ treat others as we have undoubtedly been treated. It breaks my heart every time I see Christians arguing and fighting with both each other and unbelieving people over things that should be discussed. They are usually important issues, certainly, but it seems that most people tend to assert authority they simply don't have when these things come up. We serve a God that is infinitely big, complex, and mysterious. He has given us many absolute, definitive statements about who he is and how we are to live in response to him. He has also given us many cryptic, debatable statements about himself. I believe there are "correct" interpretations of these things, but I think it is very easy for us to err in figuring them out. And we, most likely, won't find out for sure until heaven. It is hard to find two individuals who share exactly the same views on all theological issues--let alone the same interpretation on what the appropriate response is relationally, socially, politically, etc. to said views. And that is OK! We can all afford to get a few details wrong in this life.

We certainly have to keep striving to find the "correct" theology and responses to said theology--and this is a life-long process of prayer and petition to God. But, I doubt anyone will have all of this until well into eternity. So, lets live this way! Lets live as if we don't have all of the answers. We don't. Lets keep the conversation open about what a Christian should look like in America roughly two thousand and seven years after Christ's death, because when it is all said and done, we could very well be lovingly told we were wrong in many, many ways when we are face to face with our creator. And as long as we loved him and kept striving for him, he's not going to hold that against us. We can all afford to get a few details wrong in this life.

I think that when we get to heaven, a lot of liberals are going be surprised to find that all conservatives weren't a bunch of money-hoarding, close-minded, ignorant, hypocritical bible-thumpers. And a lot of conservatives may be surprised to find out that all liberals weren't a bunch of world-pleasing, afraid-to-take-a-stand, trend-conscious, truth-ignoring tree huggers. We may very well be surprised that the other group was right about more things that we thought. We may very well be surprised that we both missed the mark horribly (that's what I'm betting on). What we will find is that, as hard as it may be to believe for some, those "other" people sincerely loved Christ, and were trying their hardest to build their lives around his call. And we will worship him forever along side them.

Please, for the love of God the Father, can we please show each other grace and humility?

-Cameron