The Highest Compliment

The other day I received the highest compliment EVER. It was lunch time with the boys. We were sitting at the kitchen table munching on grilled cheese and discussing sundry concerns—school, friends, bugs—all the essentials in life, of course. Then, between sandwich dips into ketchup, Daniel asked, “Daddy, when I go to heaven, will you come with me?”

To put it mildly—I was enamored with fatherly pride and joy. There is no greater honor than to accompany someone in their heavenly journey. But life with Daniel isn’t always a cake-walk. Sometimes in a fit of anger, he throws objects across the room. More often, he dips his head forward, peers through his furled brow, and grunts in dissatisfaction. When Daniel receives a harsh word, he pouts in teary disconsolation. When asked to do something he doesn’t want to do, he throws himself on the floor, wailing in despair and contorting his body in seizure-like tantrums. This is the journey of life with a three year old. But in the end, Daniel knows he is loved. We don’t walk out on him. We are patient, most of the time. And we actively invest in his life, so he feels comfortable sharing his anger, frustration, and hurts as well as his joys.

This reminds me much of our calling as a Church. Many people come into our church to find help for their journey. Most are not looking for a church institution to join. Nor do they want fantastic programs that somehow entertain momentarily. They are longing for a fellowship where they can belong, a community of redemptive love where the true state of their soul is accepted and encouraged to grow further in Christ. They may throw temper-tantrums at times, like the rest of us. They may get disappointed and disenchanted, like the rest of us. They may have idiosyncrasies, which are nearly irritating, just like the rest of us. And we are called by virtue of our commitment to Christ and His Church to be patient, to offer guidance as they adjust to the disciplines of Christian living and to actively invest in their lives.

It is as if every Sunday our visitors are looking around, waiting for someone to extend an invitation to walk with them to the very throne of Grace. They want to hear from the Church of Christ, those sitting near them and shaking their hands, “Come, let’s do this together. It’s going to be a long walk, but we’re here with you.” Or perhaps in Daniel’s words they are asking, “Church, when I go to heaven, will you come with me?”

Still walking,
JON