It is in human nature to be self-serving, dating all the way back to the Fall of Mankind. The default setting for any person is “comfort.” As such, anything that makes a person uncomfortable is equated with “wrong.”

This is where we, both as a society and as Christians (or really, any religion), utterly fail. Just because we may not LIKE something doesn’t mean it’s WRONG. Do you think Jesus LIKED being crucified? It specifically states in the Bible that he was praying for God to give him a pass and was so incredibly terrified of what he knew was coming that he was literally sweating blood. Yet, he still went forward and gave Himself in an utterly devastating fashion in order to gain the ultimate victory.

This is why I am so incredibly disillusioned with churches that raise a stink over things like music, volume, service times, appearance, etc. Make any and all arguments you want about sound doctrine, theology, etc., but at the end of the day, many of these arguments are the results of man-made rules, not God’s direction. This is why we see so many churches side-by-side, many of which are at MAYBE half-capacity.

It’s also why we are so divided as a society. When someone disagrees with us, it makes us “uncomfortable.” Again, we are equating “uncomfortable” with “wrong.” To be fair, it may be wrong FOR US, but it’s not necessarily wrong AS A WHOLE. This is what we fail to see. Each person is unique and has unique needs, ideas, strengths, and weaknesses. In a time where individuality is considered to be “celebrated,” it’s our individuality that is causing us to put such a focus on ourselves that we fail to take anyone else into consideration.

Recently, I chastised my son for breaking a decoration over our front door because he was throwing a toy around the house. When I asked why he did that, he said, “I didn’t think it would hurt anything.” I asked him if he stopped to think about what was around him before he started throwing, and his response was, “no.” He wasn’t thinking about anything or anyone around him; just himself. It was a teachable moment for him, and he now realizes that he needs to be aware of what is around him outside of his individual “bubble.”

This would go a long way towards addressing the seemingly-endless debates in churches. If one man can willing give himself over to be beaten beyond recognition and left literally nailed to a tree to die, then I think Brother Joe and Sister Jane can suffer through 15-20 minutes of electric guitars that they may not otherwise listen to in their car, because at the end of the day, the church service isn’t about focusing on only Brother Joe or Sister Jane. At least, that shouldn’t be what Joe and Jane are seeking, anyway…