When Target made their decision to allow gender-neutral restrooms, there was an uproar from the Christian community that, quite honestly, was embarrassing. At this point, I am not surprised by the response that Christians gave, but I am utterly disappointed by it, and the actions of fellow believers has left me thinking quite a bit.

As Christians, I feel that we are often given the reputation of being judgmental, hypocritical, and all-around harsh people. Our association as followers of Jesus raises eyebrows because of the actions of a few people who did horrible things in His name. I know we're not the only group of people who faces such opposition, as this has been clearly witnessed in the events of the last several days, but because my identity is placed in Jesus -- as a Christian -- I am calling for us to lead better by living better and loving better.

We are leaders because the world is watching us. It is watching how we treat people, how we react to our circumstances, how we speak to our friends and to strangers, and how we conduct ourselves on our campuses and our job sites. I know this reality can be overwhelming, but it also gives us a huge platform to minister to everyone we come in contact with. That being said, the way we lead depends on how we live and how we love.

We must lead by living and loving well. When we're in public, we must look for ways to help people and be intentional. We must not be selfish. We must not be inconsiderate. We must hold doors for people. Most importantly, we must stop living in fear. We must stop being turned away by those who don't hold the same beliefs as we do and by those who are a different skin color and by those who identify as part of the LGBT community and whatever other differences we may have. They are just like you and me. They struggle with sin just as I do. They want to be accepted and loved just as I do. They want to be respected just as I do.

When we boycott the places they go to, they feel the opposite of love. When we stare at them in the grocery store, they feel the opposite of acceptance. When we whisper under our breath about them, they feel the opposite of respect. I'm not saying we should continue to let them live in sin, but I am saying we should not punish them for it; that is not our duty. That responsibility belongs solely to Christ. We are to show the love of Jesus to them because it has so graciously been shown to us in our sin. We are not to judge them or give them disapproving glances because I promise you they see our resentment and they make note of it. We carry the name of Jesus, and they know that. Our actions often tell them that the name of Jesus hates, discriminates, and judges. We must reinvent the reputation we've so easily made for ourselves and display what true Christian servitude is, because if we're only serving those who are like us, what gain is that?

In Mark 2:16-17, Jesus is found eating with sinners -- tax collectors and thieves -- and the Pharisees, who claim to be the holiest of Christians, ask, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" Jesus responds: "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (2:16-17). I am afraid that, too often, we are like Pharisees. We are self-righteous, we think we are holier than everyone else, and we separate ourselves from sinners, not recognizing that we were once sinners as well. How much different would our world be if we actually lived like Jesus and met the needs of sinners instead of displaying hatred to them? It's time to stop living in a bubble. If we're so offended by the reputation that we have, we must work to prove that it's not true.