It Is What It Is

My lawn has serious issues. The grass is thin and pale, bare spots abound, and there are some things growing out there I've only seen on the Discovery Channel. It's sad, really. It always helps, too, when the neighbors have lawns that look like golf courses. I'm sure they love me.

But I can't blame the yard for its sorry state. The fact is, I hate yard work and I have no idea what I'm doing even when I try. Once in a while I spray some stuff I bought at Walmart and throw a little grass seed around; but in all reality, I'm clueless. And since the yard can't fix itself, it remains in its pitiful state. It simply is what it is.

Sometimes we forget that the world can't fix itself. We have a tendency to respond to the condition of our world with an almost prideful sense of shock and disbelief. We look at the darkness and brokenness around us, shake our heads, write it all off as a sure "sign of the times," and then retreat to our safe sanctuaries to wait for the end of all things. Occasionally, in the name of culture-changing ministry, we forward an email to other Christians telling them who to vote for and who to boycott. And when confronted with our failure as the Church to make a genuine difference in our culture, we conveniently remind ourselves of how bad it is "out there," and matter-of-factly pin the blame on the world and its unwillingness to come to us.

It seems to me that Jesus laid the responsibility on another doorstep. He said, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl." Rather than being surprised by the condition of the world, Jesus sets a challenge before those who are called to be salt and light. The truth is, if things are to change, the followers of Jesus must move beyond the safety of the church's walls and the comfort of friendly circles. We must be salt in a decaying world and a light in dark places.

Sinners can't be anything but sinners apart from the grace of God. Rather than pointing a finger in shock and arrogance, I need to humbly remember that there, but for the grace of God, go I.

Darkness can never be anything but darkness if the light remains hidden. If the darkness seems to be spreading, perhaps we should, in all humility, consider Jesus' words and accept that we have failed to live as the genuine expression of His light in the world.

A world in bondage to sin will not come running to us on Sunday morning simply because our churches are open. Rather than shaking our heads in disbelief, maybe we should ask with broken hearts, "How can we show love to them right where they are?"

If we, as the people of salt and light, remain disconnected and hidden from those who are lost and hurting, we have no right to be surprised by the world's condition. The world simply can't fix itself. Left on its own, it is what it is.