Pollyanna Ain't Easy

Hey there, sorry I've been AWOL, but the end of the semester is kicking my tail. I've had the best of intentions -- last Saturday, December 10th was the 57th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and I was going to write about how we are doing as a world in terms of living out this declaration (great in some areas and terribly in others) and what we as Christians are called to do in our own communities. I was going to reference Jesus' first public teaching where he read from Isaiah 61 and claims as his mission:

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. -- Luke 4: 18-19

I was going to end with a compelling reminder that in all we do as Christians, we are called to model Christ. Christ is our living example of how our Creator intended us to live in union with God and with all of creation, and if Christ claims the poor, the prisoners, the blind, and the oppressed as his people, so ought we. If their lives were the focus of his ministry and attention, then so ought they be ours.

But then I didn't write it and the anniversary passed so I scrapped it. Today I am inspired to write on something different. Oddly, it relates. A friend and I were talking last night and he told me he doesn't think I see the real him. Because I have this Pollyanna-ish habit of focusing on the good in people he thinks I don't see his bad. In some ways he's right. My friend's got walls I don't know if the folks who climb Everest could scale -- he certainly doesn't let me peek behind them -- so he prevents me from knowing him completely. And of course, that is absolutely his right.

But at the heart of his accusation is a profound misunderstanding of who we are called to be as Christians and who I have chosen consciously to become. Here's the thing, it's not that I don't see my friends' faults (and it's not just this one friend from last night; like anyone I am a keen observer of others' weaknesses!); it's that I see them and I choose not to focus on them. Paul tells the Ephesians:

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.... Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. -- Ephesians 4: 29-32

We don't build people up by focusing on their bad. We don't strengthen God's kingdom when we nitpick and tear down. We recognize weakness in others and we respond in love. We see their needs (where they live in brokenness) and we respond in ways that offer them opportunities to heal.

I have to tell you, it's not easy. But we all have areas of poverty in our lives; all of us are imprisoned, blinded, or oppressed by something. We fulfill the potential God showed us in Christ when we find those areas in one another and work to help each other find freedom, recovery, and release.

We can't do that if we don't see the weaknesses in our brothers and sisters, but we can't do that if we harp on them either. The premise behind the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is that regard for our inherent dignity is the foundation for freedom, justice and peace. Amen. Our lives are crazy right now with Christmas, but we choose how we act. Let's choose to act consciously in ways that build one another up, knowing that this is one important way we fulfill the potential of the One whose birth we are preparing to celebrate. Spend the next two weeks as Pollyanna, and see whether the gifts you give to those you love actually come in shiny wrapping paper and big poofy bows. I bet the gifts your loved ones will remember are the ones that come in a smile, a word of encourgement, and a promise of hope.

Love,

Becky