New Year, Same John
Do you ever find yourself in the holiness comparison game? I mean, sure we compare ourselves to others all the time: they’re prettier, they’re more successful, they’re happier. But sometimes as people of faith, we can get pretty judgy about who’s holier. Usually, you see that judgment happening by the uppity Christians who snub their noses at people who make different life choices that they deem as lesser. But I have found myself many times comparing my own “holiness” to others who seem to really be super-Christians. How am I living up to the imitation of Christ when John Wesley over here prays for two hours every morning before breakfast? How am I living up to the law of love when Father Gregory Boyle in Los Angeles is literally transforming gang-members lives every day?
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You can start thinking this way and feel shame or guilt for not living up to the work of other people. You can throw in the towel and think, “I’ll never be like them so why try?” A somewhat surprising text pops up in Galatians 6:2-4 – “Carry each other’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks they are important when they aren’t, they’re fooling themselves. 4 Each person should test their own work and be happy with doing a good job and not compare themselves with others.” These words are such a relief to me…it’s like Paul is saying: Holiness is not a contest!
I say this text is somewhat surprising because Paul usually is so hung up on salvation by grace through faith, not by works. But then he’s got all these crazy ideas about how we should live our lives, so it’s like, not by works … but here’s how you should work. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, when we interpret the Bible, especially the writings of Paul, remember that the Bible is meant to teach us how to think, not necessarily what to think. The rules Paul made up aren’t designed to be applied in every context across infinite time. They’re there to help us see how a tremendous leader in the faith wrestled with the Holy Spirit to discern how to help different churches live in a community of love and respect. So how is the Holy Spirit helping us today discern what it looks like to carry one another’s burdens, to not think of ourselves as more important than others, to find happiness in the work we’re doing without comparing our accomplishments to others?
This is a New Year with a lot of the same problems as the last one. It’s hard to do ministry, work, and life in the ever-changing world of a global pandemic that has lasted almost two years now. You make plans just to change them at the last minute. Now more than ever, be kind to yourself, be gentle to yourself. Imagine ways to connect with others who are also experiencing isolation. Christ has won the victory. Christ has carried the load. Let Christ be your rest. Let Christ in you be your love.