I'm reading this book called the Ragamuffin Gospel by this guy Brennan Manning who was an alcoholic. I always appreciate things recovering alcoholics and drug addicts have to say, because they typically are pretty straight up. And when you know somebody has been down that road, you know that they really can teach you a few things about life. I'd venture to say its harder to learn some of the core issues of life from somebody who has never really been broken down to the point of desperation that alcoholics so often talk about. So anyways, back to this quote....
He says "Quite simply, our deep gratitude to Jesus Chris is manifested neither in being chaste, honest, sober and respectable, nor church going, Bible toting, and Psalm singing, but in our deep and delicate respect for one another." Wow. I mean, here he goes, just calling out all of us who like to count our sins. He even pulls out the good ones--- chastity, honesty, and sobriety, and without discounting says that our real response to what Jesus did for us does not make us better people in these ways, but that we can really show it in how we treat eachother. Thats hard to hear. I treat people pretty bad sometimes. Just ask my family, my sister, my roommates, or the kids I hang out with at school. I like to think I'm nice...but i think its that "delicate respect" that really got to me. He's not just saying being cordial, Manning is telling us that if we really want to respond to Christ-- we have to treat people as He does and love them like He does. Wow...that's really just hard to swallow because I know its something I need to work on.
It amazes me how I can be reading a book and a random quote can pop out at me like this one did and totally rock my spiritual world. It's pretty awesome though.
1 comment:
i'm right there with you. that's heavy stuff. i'll be pondering that one for a few years/lifetimes now.
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