"By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." I John 3:16-18
We talk about social action all the time, about justice and freedom. But talking is easy. What do we do? How shall we live in light of the fact that people who love God (or claim to) must also love His people- and love them with an active love? If I look at my life, I realise that is just what it is: MY life. A lot of what I do is characterized by selfishness, like how I spend my money, my time, my thoughts, my energy. Sure, I will try to take opportunities to be generous with my money or my time, but if I'm honest there is probably a limit as to how far I would go. So long as it doesn't cost me too dearly... I play it safe.
But God doesn't want us to play it safe. John writes that if I claim to live in God, I must walk as Jesus walked- and Jesus lived a life of total sacrifice to others. It's always been about loving God and loving people- because of God's ultimate love. How can I know God's love and then close my heart to brothers and sisters who are in need? I have so much. James says that it's no good claiming to have faith if what we do doesn't back it up. What I have is not mine to hold on tightly to. There are not supposed to be limits on my giving. Is it okay that there are rich Christians in the world? Should I be precious with my time and use it for my glory? And even if I nail both of those things, isn't it even more selfish to have the amazing hope that I do and keep it to myself?
"...When we were done, I started wondering if we had accomplished anything. I started wondering whether we could actually change the world. I mean, of course we could - we could change our buying habits, elect socially conscious representatives and that sort of thing, but I honestly don't believe we will be solving the greater human conflict with our efforts. The problem is not a certain type of legislation or even a certain politician; the problem is the same that it has always been.
I am the problem.
I think that every conscious person, every person who is awake to the functioning principles within his reality, has as moment where he stops blaming the problems of the world on group think, on humanity and authority, and starts to face himself. I hate this more than anything. This is the hardest principle within Christian spirituality for me to deal with. The problem is not out there, the problem is the needy beast of a thing that lives in my chest.
The thing I realized on the day we protested... was that it did me no good to protest America's responsibility in global poverty when I wasn't even giving money to my church, which has a terrific homeless ministry. I started feeling very much like a hypocrite.
More than my questions about the efficacy of social action were my questions about my own motives. Do I want social justice for the oppressed, or do I just want to be known as a socially active person? I spend 95 percent of my time thinking about myself anyway. I don't have to watch the evening news to see that the world is bad, I only have to look at myself. I am not browbeating myself here; I am only saying that true change, true life-giving, God-honoring change would have to start with the individual. I was the very problem I had been protesting. I wanted to make a sign that read "I AM THE PROBLEM!" Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz
"My dear children, let's not just talk about love; let's practice real love. This is the only way we'll know we're living truly, living in God's reality. It's also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves." 1 John 3:18-20, MSG
