Close Your Eyes To See

A lady went to the Pastor and said "I won’t be attending Church anymore."

He said, "May I ask why??"

She said, "I see people on their cell phones during the service, some are gossiping, some just ain’t living right, they are all just hypocrites."

The Pastor got silent, and he said, "Ok... But can I ask you to do something for me before you make your final decision?"

She said, "What’s that?"

He said, "Take a glass of water and walk around the Church 2 times and don’t let any water fall out the glass."

She said, "Yes I can do that."

She came back and said, "It’s done."

He asked her 3 questions:

1. Did you see anybody on their phone?

2. Did you see anybody gossiping?

3. Was anybody living wrong?

She said, "I didn’t see anything because I was so focused on this glass, so the water wouldn’t fall."

He told her, "When you come to Church, you should be just that focused on God, so that you don’t fall. That’s why Jesus said, 'Follow me.' He did not say follow Christians. Don’t let your relationship with God be determined by how others relate with God. Let it be determined by how focused YOU are on God."

This little story from an unknown author speaks about keeping our eyes focused on God. This by no means is an excuse to do whatever we want or to let others knowingly sin. James tells us in James 5:16 "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." We are to support and love each other through all the highs and lows of life. However, judgment is left to God and it is not our job to stand in judgement of others. It is important to remember that "the Church is not a museum of saints, but a hospital for sinners". We are all there for one purpose, to commune with God. We gather together for support, but we are there to focus on the Creator, the Savior, the Healer and the Forgiver. Next time you or someone else bases a following of Jesus (also known as Christians) off of someone's imperfect walk (and which of us are perfect?), remember to close your eyes so they may be open to see Him.