Never Mind His Speck of Wood, Mind Your Own Plank

This was about a year ago. Mike was at work one day and he said the Lord spoke to him and told him to build 3 wooden crosses for our church grounds. It was 100 degrees outside. What did Mike do? He went to Home Depot after he was done working, came straight home and built 3 gigantic wooden crosses. The one in the middle stands higher than the other two, just like we always picture on Calvary. He blew me away that day. He never came in and said hello. He just went straight to work in that 100 degree weather. He never said what he was doing. He didn't feel like he had to. It was between him and the Lord. I was impressed. Why am I writing about this again? Because my poor Mikey has taken a wounding today.

Being judged stinks. Most of us say we don't judge people, but I bet if we take close inventory we do make assumptions (the nice word for judging) about people and assign those "assumptions" to them. I get really angry when our Christian friends/acquaintances judge Mike or look down on him because he does not go to church every time the doors are open. So what? Just like the baptism guy I wrote about, Mike works tons of hours. He kills himself to make his business a success so our family is not homeless. He goes Sunday mornings and guess what? Sometimes he is so exhausted because he worked Saturday too that he takes Sunday just to rest and does not go to church. I may not prefer that but big whoop. Why can't he do that if he is completely exhausted? Why can't he do a devotion at home every now and then or watch a sermon because he is dog tired and he needs him brain to be focused or the business suffers. He cannot stay stressed out, period. He needs his time of rest. He works late a lot, Wednesday nights are very difficult for him. Plus, he comes home covered in saw dust or sweaty and needs to take a shower and eat first. That's hard to do when you don't get home until 15 to 30 minutes before we would have to leave for church. Plus, he is exhausted. Home remodeling is a hard and tough business. It is physically exhausting.

You know, it really chaps my tail that people assume that our Christian walk or relationship with the Lord is based off service in the church or church attendance. Um, that can be a very good indicator but not the only one. It makes me very upset because I tell people that he does a lot in the community and he does. You just would not believe all the stuff he does for people in our community and lots of other places. He is generous to a fault. He gives and gives and most of the time I don't even know the stuff he does until someone tells me what he did for them. He keeps a lot to himself, he's not a bragger. Once again, he just goes John Wayne on me ha ha. Quiet. He walks quiet with the Lord but he's walking. Isn't that all that matters? That he is obedient and he is walking? Sheesh.

I know plenty of people go to church every time the doors are open and I can guarantee that for a good deal of them the rest of their time is spent focused on "life" and the stuff in their life. Some people like Mike go less but their walk is highly focused and obedient to the Lord. So who looks like the better Christian to man's eyes?

Mike has such great faith, I think I said that yesterday even. What a huge gift and he uses it. Jesus said to love was the greatest commandment. We are to love others and I tell you what....I'm hard pressed to think of many people like Mike who go out of their way to help people like he does. AND, not expect anything for it or tell anyone about it. He just does it because it's the right thing to do. If he knows of a need he tries to help that person or hook them up with someone that can help. He is a great man and I am so mad right now that someone would think less of him for his church attendance record and give favor to someone else because they attend more.

God is not a respector of persons so why does man do it? That really irritates me!

I am like a lioness right now, roaring in protective mode. I am like, how dare anyone judge him! They don't know squat about this man. They are lucky to even know his name, how dare anyone look at attendance and make assumptions about anyone. Grrrrr......

Yes, God should be first but God being first does not have to be defined by sitting in a pew. What if a busy man has the bible on CD and plays it in his work truck? What if a busy man prays a lot while he is driving around? What if a busy man stops to help people daily as he sees a need? What if a busy man just goes to church one day a week and spends time in the word on his own on other days? What if a busy man is focused on God and is obedient and not many people can see it? Does it make God not be first for him?

Once again, the road to heaven may be a narrow road but that road looks very different for all of us. It's doesn't have the same scenery for all of us. I wish people would remember to just focus on the plank in their own eye. My husband is an outstanding person. He is faithful, loves his kids and plays with them, he loves God and Jesus, he treats women with great respect, he serves his community well and I could go on and on. Oh, yeah and he never hesitates to tell people about Jesus. So there. Stupid people.....he stays calm and I get all outraged. I saw the hurt though and that was enough to get me all riled up.

For me, my walk does put me in church twice on Sundays most of the time and on Wednesday evenings. I go every other week on Thursdays to teach our ladies class too. I pray, I study too. So what? Does that make me better than Mike? What if he is there physically in church less than me but he prays more and studies the Bible more? Who is better then? I say nobody is better but aha, we do make those assumptions don't we? His faith never waivers, mine has but I go to church more. Why is that? A walk with God doesn't become greater because you sit in a pew more, that's why.

Why oh why do we hurt each other? Big dummies. Going to work now and then meeting Lexie for a pedicure. Gotta have pretty toes for Saturday's big graduation day! That should cheer me up.

Jenn