A Washington County church pastor had been talking to a group of heroin addicts and listened as they told him how they needed space for an outreach for those addicted. He walked them thru his churches buildings and mentioned that they had space. He said they could look at doing it there.
A young lady, a heroin addict, said she was surprised. She told him that she didn't think people like her would be welcome in a church...
The Pastor said he cried when he heard her say that.
He told that story to his congregation and all 200 of them came up and surrounded him after the service, saying they wanted to do it.
He went away for a trip and when he returned a large section of the churches neighbors came to him and showed him a flyer that the group of addicts had made up and passed around, stating they would be doing outreach to addicts in the community, from the church.
The Pastor was surprised, as this was the first time he had seen the flyer.
A dozen neighbors showed up at the village board meeting and addressed their concerns. They didn't want drug users or criminals in their neighborhood. A realtor had told one woman the resale value on her house would drop 10 percent and she promised legal action against the church if they were not happy with the action taken. One person said they had a 14 year old in the churches youth program. He said they weren't against it, just put it someplace else...
The Pastor soon announced that the church would no longer play a part in hosting a recovery center. Much of the decision was based on the respect and care for the churches neighbors, the Pastor said...
I didnt know how to feel about this...
Initially, I judged this man harshly. Not a good reaction for a professed Christian.
Not a good reaction, at all...
After days of struggling with " the proper response" I should have and not knowing, I simply decided that I would have Faith in this good mans judgement.
I chose to realize that the burden of his congregation and community was given to him by God. I chose to respect his authority and judgement, and I chose to pray for him, his congregation and his community...
That is not the reaction I would have had six years ago...
I have been blessed to be part of a Church with amazing Pastors whose decisions in the past, I disagreed with. I have shared this with them many times, explaining that when I prayed to God for wisdom and direction for my response, He simply told me to keep going, sit down and shut up...
Yes, that is exactly how my God answered my prayers...
So I hemmed and hawwed and searched for anything I could find to justify my discontent. I dissected sermons given, looking for fault...
I ranted at times to my lovely Wonderful Wife, and at times mumbled about leaving this Church I loved, out of principal...
She suggested I pray over it. I told her I had and that Gods response was for me to keep going, sit down and shut up...
Quietly, this spiritually faithful woman suggested I listen to God and perhaps practice obedience....
As week went to week and month went to month, I began to see the Wisdom of our Church leaders decisions.
I realized I was wrong...
In the years since, I have spoken with most all of the people whose decision I initially disagreed with. I listened to how they all had prayed and searched scripture, searched their hearts and put their God and His Church first. How broken hearted they were over those who chose to leave the fold rather than accept the choices of those whom God placed in authority over them...
I am not inclined, by my nature to respect authority, but I have been excessively blessed to witness exactly why I should be.
So today, I trust the judgement of a man I never met. I trust the God who placed him in an extremely difficult circumstance and the fact that he made a choice that probably broke his heart. I do not have his burden of leadership. I will never understand the weight he carries.
I am grateful that he carries it, though.
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