Over Christmas break, I’ve had a little more time to sit and theoretically smell the roses (except that they’re all under lots of feet of snow right now) and think about life. Sometimes that’s a dangerous thing, but God has been using it to remind me to live out my faith more effectively in some very specific areas. At the end of this past rather introspective week, therefore, my prayer is that thru the years, God would preserve and deepen in me a sense of compassion, of humility, of a willingness to learn and an ability to graciously acknowledge when I am wrong and where I have a responsibility to change.

We do not fight against flesh and blood, and yet we live in a flesh-and-blood universe where we are surrounded by flesh-and-blood individuals like ourselves. And thus in our dealings with people, there is a relational component as well as a spiritual one, and a physical component which accompanies the philosophical. When we hyper-intellectualize and falsely spiritualize the earthiness of the human journey towards sanctification, we often separate the physical, emotional and sexual components of human nature from the philosophical, relational, and spiritual ones, and in so doing, we create a fragmented, disjointed picture of humanness in which no human can fully recognize himself, because not all parts of himself are there reflected.

It’s easy to become disconnected from reality in our philosophizing about spiritual themes and truths. However, truth is effective only when it is firmly grounded in reality and thoroughly applicable to the human experience as it truly is—not how it is in theory. My heart has been especially burdened for those who struggle with same sex attraction, pornography addiction, cutting, depression, and eating disorders, because I feel that all of these are areas where Christians need to buck up and step up and sometimes shut up in order to listen, feel, and learn how they can effectively help their struggling brothers and sisters in Christ gain personal victory on the moral frontlines.

Walking with someone thru their issues is messy. And nasty. And sometimes it just makes you feel grumpy. But it’s worth it. And sometimes I feel like we need to be a lot better about reminding ourselves a lot more often that it IS worth it, and that we have a responsibility to care even when we don’t feel like it. To refuse to get involved or to stand apathetically on the sidelines when we know that people are struggling and that we have the capacity to help them through self-sacrificing friendship is ultimately an expression of selfish indifference and possibly even contempt.

“Yeah, I’ve been blessed by God. I’ve been discipled. I’ve been ministered to. I’ve been redeemed, and God continues to sanctify me. But do I care enough to reach out a hand and pull you with me? Frankly…nah. I don’t see that. I don’t think you’re worth that. Sorry.” Um, really? ‘Cuz God kinda thinks differently on that one.

It’s Christmas time. Again. And there’s much talk of keeping Christ in Christmas, and the reason for the season, and sharing Christmas spirit with everyone you meet, and a whole bunch of other jazz, some of which may have been invented by Hallmark Corporate. Which is awesome—I’m totally a fan of people being nice to each other. But I think as Christians we need to take it further than that…it’s not about spreading feel-good fuzzies and warm smiles—although those are great. It’s about being a friend, sharing your heart, sharing your Savior, and investing in people. Year round. So Merry Christmas. To everyone. And may we be Christ-bearers in dark places at all times of the year. :-)