Relate

This past week I began my internship in Downtown Atlanta. It was a week filled with lots of walking. My first days were spent leading groups of students around the city taking them to different homeless shelters and things of that nature. During this time I was reminded of a very simple thing that I often forget. This thing was in relation to those who are homeless but I think can apply to all kinds of people.

The thing was this: it is dumb to look at the problem of homelessness and think that there is one solution that will solve homelessness. (Other than homes.) The problem is, those who are found to be homeless are people and people are individuals, and every individual has their own story and their own problems and struggles. What helps one man may do absolutely nothing for another. It is foolish to stereotype every homeless person as having the same struggles and think that one solution will fix everything. While there may be similarities between some homeless people this does not mean that they are all the same.

Now, here is the larger scale application. Not only is it foolish to stereotype homeless people as all the same, but I find myself being just as guilty of doing this with all types of people. Or, thinking that there will be one grand plan to help all naturalists understand the truth of the world around them or some scheme to transform the Christian culture into what it is really meant to be, or a great argument that will stump all atheists in all parts of the world and cause them to immediately convert to Christianity.

While there may be large scale steps that can be taken to help in any of these areas we must always be mindful that there are people involved and wherever people are involved there are variables to be found. Therefore as followers of Christ we must not neglect our duty to build relationships with others on an individual basis. Not only those we are seeking to help and bring into the Kingdom, but also those who are already a part of the Kingdom. If we neglect to preach the Gospel to each other then it is possible that we may drift away from the truths found in the Bible. Basically my point is this, the Gospel, the good news, is relational. The relation of Jesus Christ to those He seeks to save and those he has saved. The relationships of edification found in the Body of Christ. And the relationship of those in the Body to those who are not found in the Body. Relationships on an individual basis take time, work, and may not always be easy, but, since when were easy things any fun to do.