I'm driving back to Montreal from a few days in Ontario, thinking about all the snow I'm going to have to shovel. It had snowed 15cm while I was away and with the snow plow likely making little mountains at the foot of my drive-way, and the up and down temperature, there was going to be ice for sure.
As I drive down my street, I'm dreading my decision NOT to get a snow removal contract. At a distance I see my neighbor working on his drive-way. As I get a little closer it looks like he's closer to my house. I'm about 3 houses away and there's no doubt now that my neighbor is breaking the ice at the front of my drive-way with a pick. No kidding!! I open the window in shock and happily ask what he's doing (rhetorical question). He tells me he knew I was away and didn't want me to come home and not be able to get in my drive-way!! I love this guy.
Crazy. He shoveled space for my car and got through 70% of the ice. I quickly got out and helped him finish my drive-way.
What a great experience. Sometimes people of faith - like me - think we're so good. We think we can show people Jesus by our actions... and then others show us a glimpse of God's kingdom with no real agenda besides just caring.
"Good will toward all men" goes the Christmas carol. Thanks Harold for showing it to me.
4 comments:
I couldn't agree more...I have been chagrined to observe that some of the nicest, kindest people I know have no affiliation with Christianity or God. I figure that God puts them in my life to raise the bar for me.
thanks for commenting Paul (I believe it's Paul K, right?)
I think it's interesting when people who aren't following Christ act as mirrors to followers of Christ - causing us to question our own character and actions.
In a way it's not about being 'better' than someone else that qualifies us, but at some point we should be moving towards Christ likeness, right?
Yep, it's Paul Klassen,
My own (rather unorthodox) opinion, is that our job is to be better people, and God's job is to make us better Christians. Fruits (whether of the spirit or other) must grow in a spontaneous process. I'd much rather have someone think of me as someone they can rely on for help than as someone who's very churchy.
I don't think it's really unorthodox. Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy go hand in hand. I believe Jesus' parable of the sheep and the goats tells us that one day he'll ask us about how we treated him in light of how we treated people. That seems to fit well with the great commandment: love God, love others.
'Churchy' isn't really good or effective unless it means you're looking more like Jesus (or as you say, GOd is tranforming you) - if not, it might be religious, but not authentically Christian.
Post a Comment