Mission Accomplished

When I served as a client service director at the Crisis Pregnancy Center in Terre Haute, I led the volunteer training sessions. One invited guest came from an adoption agency and she stated their mission and gave examples for how they carried it out. After she left, a prospective volunteer objected to how that agency operated, for she thought it was not appropriate. I asked the volunteer if the agency followed its mission statement. She agreed. Then we cannot fault the agency for adhering to their objective. They simply followed their agency’s plan and purpose, and we cannot judge them according to our preference.

I connect that exchange about a mission statement with two books I’ve recently read on writing. I almost quit reading them because of my beliefs, or I could say my prejudice. One author is a Buddhist and the other is a lesbian. I judged these authors by my standards, even though I firmly believe I’m right according to biblical principles. I would have missed some good teaching if I had stopped reading. I had to put aside my judgmental attitude in order to learn, although I’ve not forsaken what’s right and biblical.

This attitude I can also apply to how I view people––the way they dress or present themselves in public. For example, I have to be careful how I scrutinize those who lead worship. Their service is not a performance but an act of worship, and my part is included. One particular Sunday morning at church, four ladies led us in singing. I share honestly my first reaction as I viewed the platform: We have a fashion show displayed, for each lady wore a different outfit. Some I thought inappropriate, and that’s where my judgmental attitude showed up. I changed my focus and my act of worship improved. The songs had beautiful meaning, so I vowed to concentrate on worship, not performers.

Reading the book, Jesus Revolution, has helped judge my attitudes, especially in regard to preferences. You might have seen the movie. Both media tell the story of God’s power in bringing revival to young and old, educated and not so, those with traditional values and others who didn’t quite fit in. This spiritual awakening happened in the 1960s and 1970s and gave hope for generations to follow.

Thus my prejudice regarding how we worship has been brought under conviction by the Holy Spirit. I still have my preferences. Yet I’m still learning––mission not yet accomplished––to respect people and not judge their preferences. This application may take a while, but my goal is to be obedient to God and His teaching. Perhaps you would like to share your experience with me. For I suspect I’m not alone in this learning process.