I’m more convinced now than I have ever been … It’s time to take a sledgehammer to the walls.
We’ve become experts at building walls. The kind of walls that separate us, hold us in, and keep us distant from those people. The kind of walls that imprison us in our jails of traditions or trend-chasing. The kind of walls that label people as outsiders and members, and drive us to treat them accordingly. The kind of walls that we’ve erected and labelled as “Christianity”. It’s time to take a sledgehammer to those walls.
Sure, it will be messy. It will definitely be uncomfortable. It will more than likely make some people upset.
But, it’s time to start demolishing walls.
What if we stopped focusing on how to maintain faith, and actually started living it out? We’ve played church for far too long. We’ve been far too preoccupied with our attendance numbers and contribution levels. We’ve fought far too often over petty disputes, like songs and traditions and names on signs. We’ve behaved like bullies in a sandbox, protecting our turf. And we’ve been proud of it. We’ve even become known for it.
The world’s living out hell, but our sandboxes sure are neat!
Maybe it’s time for us to grow up. Perhaps it’s time to break the rules, let go of the traditions, and stop focusing on the trends. Time to stop believing in what we’ve created, and step into a new way of being alive. Maybe it is high time for us to believe in a better story about God and what He’s doing. It’s time to believe that it isn’t up to us. It’s not our standards that prove our faith. Not our performances that win God’s affection. Not our ministries or activities that make us attractive to God. It’s not our abstinence that’s won God over.
Maybe, just maybe, it’s our shattered walls that God loves.
And once our walls are laying in ruins, maybe just then we will see a kingdom rising. A new world being born out of the rubble. A kingdom that is new, yet has been here all along. The sort of kingdom where the poor are the most honored among us, and the forgotten are the most cherished. A kingdom where second chances aren’t limited, and hope is tangible. A place for the dreamers and lovers.
A wall-less kingdom. God, may it be so. I believe our hearts were made for such a place.
Neat Sandboxes or whitewashed tombs even our plates and cups – appealing to the eye but you wonder what is buried under the sand or inside the tombs. Matthew 23:23-28.
Yes, He is a God of a ‘second opportunity” – I don’t like the word chance. It sounds too risky.
thanks for reading, betty!