I have the privilege of meeting with some amazing women every week for a Bible study at my church. They have become my tribe and sounding board for so many things. We laugh together, cry together and generally celebrate life together. Everyone needs a tribe like that! This past week we got onto a topic that generated lots of discussion and has floated around in my mind all week.
Have you ever heard the parable of the frog in a pot? It goes something like this: if you put a frog into a boiling pot of water, it will jump out. It senses the danger of the heat and doesn’t like it one bit so he jumps out to save himself. However, if you put that same frog into a tepid pot of water and turn the heat up slowly, the frog will simply get cozy and sit there until, with a smile on its little face, it boils to death.
A little dark, I know, but an interesting analogy for Christians as we live in a world that constantly asks us to conform to values that we know are not in line with what God wants or expects from us.
When we find ourselves in a situation that we know is wrong, illegal, or way outside of cultural norms, we do everything within our power to get out of that situation. We don’t rob the local bank or kill our enemy because…well, it just isn’t right. We jump out of the pot. As a believer, I know that there is no doubt whatsoever that I shouldn’t lie on the witness stand if testifying in front of a judge. So I speak the truth. I jump out of the pot!
But what about those not-so-obvious things that we are confronted with every day? What about the times I receive more change from the clerk than I’m due? What about when my boss asks if I’ve finished the report that I haven’t even started an outline for? Do I lie to save face and avoid the confrontation, telling myself its ok because I was going to do it anyway? Do I call the extra change a “gift from God” all the time forgetting that the poor clerk is going to have to balance that cash drawer at the end of the night and will be held accountable for the shortage?
I could go on and on with my own life experiences that start out as tiny little things but, if I don’t pay attention, could easily grow into bigger things that would impact my relationship with God. Little things that slowly turn up the heat as Satan tries to bring the water to a boil.
There is a fine line between making a stand for what is right and Godly versus judging and condemning others for their sinful choices. If I stand up and alert everyone to the fact that the emperor has no clothes, I could be called out as narrow-minded and intolerant. The world says perhaps the emperor isn’t aware of his clothes deficiency. Or he is aware and can’t help it, it’s not his fault. And besides, everyone’s doing it and it isn’t really hurting anyone. But the fact remains that the emperor is running around in his underwear and being accepted because no one wants to appear intolerant of his choice.
I know, it’s a rather absurd example, but it makes my point.
Jesus gave us the perfect example on how to not get boiled in the pot; how to live a life that is separate, called out, Holy. All through the New Testament Jesus taught us to love the person and hate the sin. To separate the action from the human soul that He loves. The Bible also says that all of us have sinned. Not one single person gets a free pass when it comes to sin. No one is innocent and no one is above God’s law.
The whole point of Jesus coming into this broken world is to point out that the water is slowly boiling and we need to get out of the pot! Don’t be conformed to the ways of the world. Pay attention to the little things, the things that our world says are ok to let slide. If I never learn anything from my years of reading through the Bible and attending church and worship services but this one thing, I will be able to hear Jesus’ awesome words, “well done!”
Everything goes back to LOVE!
Love gives me the courage to be obedient. Love helps me respond correctly to someone who has wronged me. Love helps me see the person God created and wants to be reconciled with rather than the lier or thief. Love helps me understand that I’m just as sinful as the next person. The difference is that I’ve accepted the ultimate gift of love, Jesus’ death in my place so I can be with Him for all of eternity.
It’s not always easy to love someone who the world and some religious people say I should hate. It’s not easy to do the right thing when it feels like you’re the only one doing it. Its hard, and lonely at times. But when I hear myself complain about it, I’m reminded that what Jesus went through and paid for me to have the freedom I have was so much harder than anything I can ever imagine!
Thank you, Lord, for the lesson of loving others and how it can change the entire world if we truly love with your all-encompassing, compassionate, Holy Love. Keep me from getting cozy in the boiling pot. Give me the knowledge to know when the water is starting to boil and give me the strength to jump out!
