Sometimes God uses unique and unusual things to get our attention. That was the case with me this week-end. Scott’s annual Christmas party (yeah, I know...it’s February) was last night and this year they chose to have dinner and see the show at The Funny Bone at Easton. As a note, these are not my favorite nights. I am not a fan of making small talk with people I don’t know and only see once a year. So I don’t go into these evenings with the best attitude. Some years we are thrilled that we have a schedule conflict that we can’t attend the gathering, but this year it was close to home and our calendar was open. No excuse.
So we had a mediocre dinner...kind of like going to your spouse’s 20 year class reunion. He knows a bunch of people, but you really don’t. No big deal though.
Then we move into the room for the comedy show. There were probably a few hundred people in the over crowded room. Lots of drinking and definitely quite a few people who had too much to drink. In fact, the main comedian did 3 shots of tequila during his routine and that was just one of 3 shows he was doing last night.
Now, I have seen quite a few comedians over the years, primarily on cruises. I know they are going to use some colorful words and talk about some inappropriate things. But as I sat and observed both the comedians and the crowd, my heart was truly broken. The jokes were so sexually disgusting and the slander of various groups including minorities and women was frankly over the top. Things like pornography and drug use and stealing were totally celebrated. As I sat in shock at the topics, I was surrounded by hundreds of people who were having the time of their life! They laughed and cheered and high-fived each other and the comedian.
I’m sure many of these people are people who I would interact with in my day to day life. I might chat with them at my kids’ band concert or work out with them at excercise class. They might even sit down the row from me at church. I think there are so many people in our lives, especially on a casual basis, who we just don’t think about at a spiritual level. And yet, they are so far from God. Sin means very little to them and they are able to laugh and even raise their glass to it.
I think too often I am guilty of just seeing the surface of a person. I don’t care enough about their heart. I think in this situation it was easy to see the hearts of those around me. I want to be more aware of just how broken this world is and how much and how many people need Jesus.
I’m glad that sometimes God pulls me out of my safe little Christian-y world and says, “Beth! Wake up! You have got to see how lost my people are and most of all....Do something about it!!”
Okay, I know some of my friends will read this and just write me off as an overly religious prude who gets offended too easily. But that’s alright. I know there is more at play here and I also realize just how high the stakes really are.
