Be A Decent Human

There is a term I often see written in different ways, all of which mean the same thing. “Be a decent human.” I saw this on a coffee cup the other day, and I started thinking about it. 

There is certainly a lot of tension in our culture, and people would like to blame that on a lack of decency. 

Jesus was teaching on love. He said, “If you love those who love you, what reward do you have for even the tax collectors do that?” 

That's deep. If we are decent to those we agree with, who hold the same basic lifestyle as we do, our decency is not actually decency but conditional kindness or solidarity. Something, but not true decency. 

A few weeks ago, a woman was so impressed by my children that she gave them a gift. Cecilia was leaving Meijer with her groceries, and a woman stopped and helped her load them. She even offered to give my son Routt one of the Gatorades she had just purchased. 

Cecilia and I were reflecting on our time here at the church, how five years can feel like a few weeks. She said, “The people in this church have treated us better than we deserve to be treated”. 

In my experience, people, secular or Christian, are, in general, decent, but nowhere have I seen decency more than in folks who struggle but try to live in a Christ-like way. 

So keep making that sourdough and an extra for the neighbor. Keep doing the brake jobs. Keep sewing the quilts and signing up for the meal trains. If you have an abundance of eggs, you will always find takers. And if you ever feel like being decent to me, my favorite pie is Cherry with the crumble topping.

Bless you.
Pastor.