At sixteen I walked through a wide door. It was a regular front door of a friend's home, but wide none the less. Through that wide door hundreds of my friends entered. We did not need to look a certain way or act in any scripted way. The door was wide and any could enter regardless of race or creed or practice. I looked to be a fairly normal and sane junior in High School. I had my quirks and my hidden sins, but nothing too dramatic or life threatening. Others who walked through that wide door seemed to be in worse shape than I. They were living on the edge experimenting with a whole assortment of bad habits. I noticed that those who held the door open actually got excited when my friends with the worst reputations walked through the door. Our hosts were genuinely excited to see a rag tail group of rebellious, sinful teenagers.
After entering through that wide door we did some crazy things. We sang a few wacky songs. The songs were all new to me. There was a skit. Most of them were messy and hilarious. We howled. It was so fun. And the evening concluded when a storyteller told us briefly about the most important person in his life. Over a few months I learned about the storyteller's friend. The storyteller was the very first person in my first sixteen years to tell me about Jesus.
The stories about Jesus turned to an invitation to follow him. I did along with hundreds of my high school friends. Our lives took a turn for the better all because of a wide door held open for us.
Who is holding the door open today for the lost, the lonely, the broken and the bruised? Who is hanging out and befriending the "sinners"? Is anyone having a rip-roaring, side-splitting time when Jesus is part of the conversation?
Have we narrowed the door? Have we put conditions on those who enter the door? Must they become like us; bored, archaic, judgmental, fearful, too serious before they can enter? Do we attempt to cram "truth" down the throat of others and when they choke on our forcefulness we sentence them to hell?
What kind of door did Jesus have? Narrow or wide? Did he condemn sinners or befriend them? It would be good to get back to following his example. Let's get the doors open once again.
I love it! Keep writing and speaking and living this way. It has to rub off on those who spend time with you like it rubbed off on you those many years ago.
ReplyDelete(I am posting this comment from a friend.)
ReplyDeleteI think what you hit on was that all your friends found a place where they were loved and accepted. Our pastor/friend in CO said that "people have to belong before they can believe." That's what happened to you and your friends- you found a place of acceptance. This can be a long process that a lot of us don't make time for- investing in other people's lives. In my small corner of the world I have built a relationship with my neighbors and one neighbor, in particular, has called me to share some deep stuff; solve a neighborhood dispute, etc. She lost her sister when she was in high school. She calls me seeking "sister" advice. In this availability I have shown her acceptance and love and am able to share how I would solve the problem and can pull in "truth" when needed.
~Christy