“You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:5 NIV)
I’m at the front of the checkout line at a big box retail store in my neighborhood. I opted to skip the self-serve checkout line and go to a line where a cashier would scan and bag my purchases. I had interacted with this cashier before and she is quite a talker. I don’t fault her from wanting to benefit from social interaction. Some of us need that in this day of social isolation. So, here I am watching her carefully as she is talking and scanning at the same time. I’m looking at the screen on the register to make sure I’m not double charged. Wouldn’t you do the same? The line is getting longer and the masked faces behind me; almost covered; still could not hide the unspoken message revealed by their body language. A little frustration was brewing and still visible. I probably aggravate the awaiting customers behind me even more because I have one card that is used for groceries and one card that is used for special items such as home décor merchandise. The body language of customers behind me, still unspoken, becomes more obvious as hands are put on hips, and weight is shifted from one leg to the other. The cashier is still talkative, unmoved by the impatience of awaiting shoppers.
One of the items I purchased was a set of plastic food containers. Why did I ever do that? The cashier comments on how she likes those and almost immediately went into a story that started out, “You got to watch church people.” I’m thinking, “I’m a church people. Is she talking about me? What is she implying?’ The cashier goes on to say. “Church people will take your stuff! I have a friend who took a brand new, large glass container with a lid to a church pitch-in meal. Somebody took her lid! They knew it wasn’t theirs. And they never brought it back; church people!” Let me insert that I am just giving you an abbreviated version of her diatribe. Knowing people are still in line, I offer a little defense for church people like us, “Well, we do our best to do right! We try!” Finally I’m ready to exit. I was looking toward the door and the cashier says, “Have a good day brother. It’s always good to see you! God bless you!” Oh, I needed to be blessed right then and there!
This experience made me realize that when it comes to criticizing the church and church members, critics look for anything to cast a negative picture of the church and believers. Yes, they look for anything! It let me know that we have to be mindful of everything we do, but without worrying about it. We just have to do our best at all times to be sure that we don’t give critics anything to criticize us for! Now don’t walk around like you are held to every little Law that the people who lived in Moses’ time were! We have four things going for us: (1) the freedom to do right, (2) the knowledge that while we are in this world, we will always have critics looking for anything to discredit our faith, (3) we are saved by grace through faith and not by works, and we have Christ. Nevertheless, we will live up to our title as dubbed by Jesus. We will be His witnesses! So go out today, knowing that perhaps you will not be perfect in everything, but go with determination and a declaration! Let it be known that you are continuously pressing on toward perfection. Don’t let the critics who look for anything, keep you from pressing on! Be blessed!
“…and ye shall be witnesses…” (Acts 1:8b KJV)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King