I have a thought that has been running around in my head for a couple of years now. It’s not a complicated thought nor is it profound, however, I think that if this thought were something that Christian communities practiced regularly, it would change the face of Christianity.

The thought starts with this: I have done many stupid things in my life. There is seldom a day that goes by that I don’t do something stupid. Too many times I’ve stuck my foot in my mouth trying to be funny when, in the end, it hurt someone. Too many times I’ve procrastinated on work that I should have already completed. Too many times I’ve made decisions that were not well thought out and they have inconvenienced other people, or even sometimes worse, they have harmed other people. The good news (or at least news that encourages me) is that I’m not alone in doing stupid things. I’ve worked with people long enough to know that pretty much everyone does stuff like this from time to time. So really, my thought is this: if we all do dumb things, why should we be offended, angry, and/or judgmental when other people do the same?

Colossians 3:12-15 (NLT) says, “12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.”

How would it change the face of Christian community if this were our banner? If we were to clothe ourselves with mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience? I think one of the hardest character traits to practice is making allowances for each others faults. This is where my thoughts all come together. We all do dumb things and we all want to be shown mercy for the dumb things we do, but sometimes we forget that when other people do these things to us, we also have done things to others. We want to be mad and we deserve to be mad except for the realization that we too have done this to other people or at least something like this.

Lastly, if this were what all Christian communities looked like, I believe it would have a profound effect on evangelism. People would be drawn to our communities and they would seek out the answer as to why the community is such an inviting place…and of course that answer is Jesus.

By the way, I would like to put your mind at ease. The danger in writing something like this is that many people will wonder if I’m speaking of anyone in particular and the answer to that is no. I am not trying to address any certain person or situation. I also am not trying to make a judgment call on our local community here at The Chapel. I believe this is one of the healthiest Christian communities I have ever been a part of. Thank you for letting me serve with you.