I’m afraid I’ve been a bit of a peanut
butter nazi.
Every morning we get the delightful
choice of Cambodian brand cornflakes, muesli, or peanut butter and
bread. Its a nice break from the rice we eat for our other two meals.
Peanut butter is always more expensive overseas and we Americans
tend to eat up any familiar tasting food that reminds us of home . We
however live on a budget and on my groups week of purchasing
breakfast food I started realizing that we go through quite a bit of
peanut butter in a week. I became irrationally passionate about the
conservation of our precious and expensive overly processed ground
nut spread. I climbed onto my soap box daily proclaiming the
irresponsible use of our PB intake. (Although, I’m pretty sure I
always took more than the two tablespoon serving I preached.)
However, I had the horrible realization, a little too late in the
week, that I had become a Peanut Butter Nazi. 🙁
In my mind’s wandering that week, I
started to think about how often as Christians we have taken stands
on things that don’t matter, preach things we don’t practice, or
make big dramas out of the little details of a man’s character. How
often do we exhaust our lips instead of living and sacrificing so
that others could have more peanut butter. Or how often do we settle
for injustice because we refuse to use the creativity our Creator has
given us. We would rather complain and cry than be the solution. We
could have just bought jam.
So I’m apologizing…
I’m sorry that we as Christians have…
tacked our name onto political and
power agendas
lived so pridefully in hypocrisy
lived our faith only on Sundays and at
the occasional soup kitchen
acted as if our time, money, and
talents were our own
I’m sorry we have…
ignored the poor and needy
picketed causes instead of embracing
people
minimized the power of prayer
talked as if our faith was just a good
philosophy
I’m sorry we have…
watered down the gospel to 3 easy steps
to heaven
withheld forgiveness
locked our expensive mini vans when
passing the homeless
remained infants in our faith
I’m sorry we have…
made Christianity into what you don’t
do
made experiencing the Lord’s presence
into a 20 minute morning devotional
made you feel condemned and not loved
preached health and wealth
I’m sorry we have…
thrown the first stone
made you feel like an outsider in our
churches
preached a denomination over Jesus
Christ
hated our enemies instead of loving
them
I’m sorry we have…
used Holidays as gaudy sales pitches to the
unreached
gave only sympathetic nod to the single
moms
suggested counseling instead of an open
ear
spoken death and judgment on upcoming
generations
We have been peanut butter Nazis.
I ask for your forgiveness…
