let them grow together

Lewis tells us about the blurry line between Christians and nonchristians today in A Year with C.S. Lewis.

He says that it's hard to tell sometimes who is and who isn't a Christian. Those who call themselves Christians sometimes don't believe what Jesus said, or act like it. And many who do not call themselves Christians are good people and behave as though they were.

But I think there's a deeper reason why we shouldn't be hasty to condemn the sinners we see in our lives. Jesus talked about the wheat and the tares, and said to let them grow up together. That they would be separated eventually, but for now, let them grow. And looking at my own life, I think I see why... and I'm grateful.

I love Jesus with all of my heart. I want nothing more than to do His will. But. I'm a sinner. I find habits and thoughts and attitudes in my own mind that I know are not of Him. The wheat and the tares are growing together in my own life. I know that I need the patience that God tells us to have, so that I can grow the wheat stronger, and remove the tares that try to choke the wheat. I need that grace and that mercy. So how can I deny it to my neighbor?

I think we often condemn in our neighbor the things that we struggle with ourselves. And many of us do it out of good motives... we hate the sin that so easily entangles us, and when we see someone committing that sin, our hate for the sin itself sometimes manifests as hatred for that person. But we have to remember that they are struggling with the same things we are. They need the same mercy and grace that we need.

So let them grow together.

And maybe one day, the tares in ALL of our lives will be removed, and we will all get to share the wheat that brings us eternal nourishment.

God, thank You for your mercy, grace, and great patience. I know I need it.