JASON: Roots (Part 2): Community and a Lady Named Mabel
It’s confession time again: I sometimes (okay, a lot of the times) don’t necessarily like to talk to people. I end phone conversations abruptly. I rush through the crowd on a Sunday morning at church. I zone out in the middle of counseling (sorry to those of you that I counsel).
But I love people. I really, really do. I’m a pastor (more importantly, a Christian). I’d better love people … or change jobs (and faiths, too). It’s just that I’m very goal oriented, and sometimes (okay, a lot of the times) the goals for the day outweigh the needs of the person in front of me.
You know how it is, right? You’ve got that job or that paper or that chore in front of you, but skipping in line is Mabel, the talkative (okay, REALLY talkative) old lady who is determined to tell you herENTIRE life story. My temptation is to fake a headache or do something, anything to get rid of Mabel.
Except, Jesus wasn’t like that. When I read about how Jesus treated people, I am convicted. Jesus didn’t treat people like a number or a nuisance or a necessary evil. I am convicted by the number of times in the Bible where Jesus, who was probably barely standing in exhaustion, “healed ALL of their sick” or “loved them” or “had compassion on them.” I am convicted by the Jesus who says that community with people is just as important as communion with God. I am convicted by the Jesus who says that loving God also means loving people.
Enter my Mabel. She sat in my office, just across from me yesterday. I was busy, and she had a lot to say - 80 years worth of stories to tell. But something inside of me said to postpone my goals and to listen. And for a solid hour, I was more entertained than I’ve ever been during a TV show. Mabel lit up my world.
And there you have it. I would have missed it. I would have missed community. I would have missed, honestly, the best part of my day yesterday.
And that’s why Jesus said that we have to have community.
