Game of Thrones.

Drinking.

Modesty.

Donald Trump.

I can already feel the Christian blood boiling. I've participated in Christian discourse on each of these topics in the last two weeks, and it wasn't particularly pretty.

Topics like these are a big deal in the church because of this thing we call "righteousness" - something we're called to - and the concept of being "in the world and not of it". This simple verse sparks much debate because, well, the Bible doesn't explicitly tell us who to vote for, or what shows we can watch on Netflix.

There is certainly a measure of good to be derived from healthy conversation on what detracts from our witness as believers, or undermines our moral character. But, church, we have simply taken this way too far.

We have come to a place in which the world views us as bickering, disagreeable hypocrites who, for being as staunch as we claim to be, don't really seem to know what's going on.

Ouch, right? (Just so we're clear : I realize that I have been a part of the problem for much of my life.)

This issue has recently come to my attention during my study on the fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit. The fruit is listed in Galatians 5:22-23:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." (NKJV)

Goodness. Righteousness. Interestingly, it's listed as one out of nine fruits. Goodness isn't the big picture, folks. But we sure do talk about it a lot.

Why is it that we as a church focus so intensely on goodness? On what we can and cannot do? We obsess over boundary lines and hover over them as watchdogs ready to pounce if someone we know (or anyone, really) crosses them. When I considered this, it wasn't hard to surmise why we spend so much time analyzing this one aspect of the Christian walk.

It's quantitative. It's measurable. It seems tantalizingly attainable. But here's the kicker : it's comparable.

We are obsessed over measurable forms of our own Christianity, because we want to be able to look around and say, "Hey, at least I'm not that guy."

It's not so easy to measure peace, patience, or joy - but these are all things that we are supposed to develop. These are fruits, not gifts. Joy takes work - it doesn't fall into our lap.

When we fight to be good out of a desire to compete in some public arena, we suffocate the power of the Holy Spirit to develop genuine righteousness in our lives. Our goal is to look more like Jesus, not to look less like our annoying neighbor. Perspective matters.

God levels the moral playing field in Isaiah 64:6.

"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." (NIV)

No matter how much we "get right" in terms of goodness, it all appears as filthy rags. We all are guilty under the same law, and redeemed by the same covenant of grace that Jesus established through his death and resurrection.

Me and you - there's not much difference.

As a Christian, I want to strive to be characterized by my love. I'm so far from that. But I want to be a person known for the love I show and the love I live, not by condemnation and what I turn my nose up at.

Ultimately, when people think of me, I want them to think of Jesus.

Not about what I get right...or wrong.

I hope that, as the body of Christ, we can step out of our spiritual arenas. I hope we can stop competing with each other and instead, lift each other up. I hope the world will know us by our love.

I hope and pray that when the world looks at us, they see the love of a Father. I hope and pray that they see Jesus.