Every single day we're alive, we come to a certain crossroad. Should I really get out of bed right now? Do I make coffee or should I use the change jar to grab some Starbucks? Should I grab a venti or a grande? Maybe a pastry to tie it all together? That guy had a sign outside, should I buy him something? Wouldn't that be kind of weird, I mean it makes me uncomfortable... should I take the freeway or back roads to work?
(source: www.wedesiremore.com)
Life confronts us with an inescapable responsibility: we have to make choices. Now some seem absolutely arbitrary, perhaps what kind of coffee you bought, and actually are in a pragmatic sense. In the eyes of the chaos theory, every single choice radically changes the life around you, but trying to document and track it is simply foolish. You couldn't ever possibly micromanage enough of the minor details to even understand your impact, so it's a waste of time trying.
However, what about the seemingly arbitrary decision of buying someone a quick pastry from Starbucks? Now be honest here, whether it be at Starbucks or anywhere else, the above scenario is not unfamiliar. We're bred in a society that historically has looked unfavorably upon the poor--to put it politely. You know you should do something, but due to whatever fear binds you, a rationalization arises, and it doesn't come forth. This is as much self-convicting as it ought to be outwardly-convicting, and it is something I hope to address. Just what could buying someone a pasty or whatever actually do? They're still poor, and it's not like you've given them a job. Is it even worth it? I believe so.
(source: neutralbayanglican.org.au)
The other day I was eating with a friend and roommate of mine, and this topic of decision making came up. He told me a story of his days back in high school where he was a relatively popular kid, both at school and in the youth group he attended. Now there was a girl he knew from youth group, the social outcast type, that took the same bus home as he did. Everyone loaded up onto the bus, and the scene was set: the popular kids are all seated together, every other clique is in formation, and there is this girl, sitting completely alone. My roommate, Sean, had a few options on his plate. He could continue down the aisle and start the conversation with his popular friends from a few extra feet away in order to avoid having to make any sort of contact with the "weird kid" sitting alone, thus sparing himself of any association without actually coming off as a jerk. It's just not his friend, right? Nothing wrong with that, right? Now he also could walk down, shoot her a glance and a half smile, pat himself on the back and continue on with his life. Not too invasive, just looks like a well rounded and popular guy, known even by the outcasts! But that wasn't his choice either.
Instead, he walked down the aisle, stopped and called the outcast by name and said "hi" to her. He approached her with a warm greeting and authentic smile, then went about his way. This might seem like a bit of overthinking. I mean, this really is not the big action that's going to win him a Nobel Peace Prize, but maybe therein lies our error in thinking that an action can only be significant if it's large scale.
Some short time later, the girl came up to him and said she needed to tell him something. Now being a relatively athletic guy and good looking, he was a bit worried that he might have come off the wrong way, but he was relieved to find himself met by much grander news. She went on to tell him how that her family life had been incredibly rough the past week or so, how she had felt entirely unnoticed in life, and that she was actually heading home that day with the plan of ending her life.
However, because he smiled, waved, and acknowledged her by name, she came to realize that she wasn't completely unnoticed in this life. In this small action, it became apparent to him, and to myself as well, that these little decisions in our life are actually used for something far greater. As Christians we know that Jesus calls us to love our neighbor and we know that God is faithful, but a lot of the time we don't quite comprehend how far this extends. In this case, God acted in this girls life through Sean's actions in order to reach down and save the life of one of His beloved.
This is the beauty of choice: that if we remain faithful to God's call to love each other, He will take each of those opportunities to act immensely as well. Even the worst of mankind can't disrupt God's sovereignty. Our actions will work out as part of God's plan, but the deciding factor is this: are our actions evil, or are they good? Are we like Cain, or are we like Abel? Are we righteous, or are we evil? Do we love our brothers and sisters, or do we hate them? Are we of Jesus, walking in the light, or are we of the devil, stumbling around in darkness? If we act in love toward our brothers and sisters, there is no law against that, and we have no fear in our choices.
If we live in love, life actually becomes quite beautiful, and the complexity, even more so. We'll never understand our actions far outside their immediacy, but the faithful will live to see the beautiful manifestation of the planted seeds.
As a final word, I would urge you to read 1 John and Luke 7, concerning Jesus paying mind to the woman and keeping his eyes on her, rather than honoring the Pharisee that denounces her. This is how love is made complete among us, so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.
This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. - 1 John 4:17
