AN ISLE OF ACCEPTANCE

Do you remember the television series “The Castaways?” I saw a program devoted to profile the series and it pointed out how originally before it was released some people in the television industry thought it would bomb. But it is one of those series that is often remembered for a variety of reasons depending on who you ask.

I always found it amazing how years after they were stranded they still managed to have all kinds of supplies that one wouldn’t have even assumed somebody would take on a short boat trip. That was one of several “question” marks that fester in the mind, but you try not to let it impede one’s ability to enjoy the entertainment.

To be stranded on some island with few or no prospect for rescue would certainly have a big impact on the need for people to accept each other since survival was at stake. So in such situations I can image tolerance would be necessary. I didn’t say it was something you would particularly enjoy, just I can appreciate how a unique situation would require a special “mindset” of acceptance that you might not find in other situations.

To me any environment with a social element will involve the issue of acceptance. And if you want acceptance you have to follow the rules of conformity for that climate. Failure to do so can easily cause you to be rejected.

But that is the human side of life. The one we face in school, work and even with families. We each deal with it on our own level and sometimes we don’t do a good job of conforming since we aren’t all gifted with the same quality of people skills.

The question is should church function on the same level? Or should the fact that it is there to serve the Lord give it a different set of priorities?

Well there is the “scripturally” correct response and then there is the reality. And the reality is that regardless of what is said from the pulpit churches often end up being microcosms of our social nature.

Now that might be okay if honest prevail as part of this scenario. However that would hardly be something we know that would God would approve. So people end up saying one thing in terms of caring while actually doing another. It is a sad game in which there really is no winner since the Lord is the one keeping score!

However it will still be reality as long as churches are composed of people. For we are human and flawed and the little game of politics and playing little plots to gain the prestige in a house of worship have been around for years and aren’t going to change.

What is truly important is to keep prevalent in one’s mind that God isn’t the author of this chaos on cruelty. He loves us unconditionally. And it is his opinion of us regardless of what others thing that will count in eternity.

Remembering this when we feel wounded by the social rituals of a given house of worship will help one to separate our faith in God from distrust of others. And perhaps keep trusting even when there are too many who would give us cause to want to give up.