Fitting In

As I write this I am sitting in a coffee house drinking, well, coffee.  Ah, coffee.  I did not drink coffee until I was in my late 20s.  Before I met my wife the beverage of choice in the morning was Mt. Dew.  As the day wore on I was open to any soda, but nothing got the day going like some Dew.  Then along comes this woman who drank coffee.  I always liked the smell of coffee, but the taste put me off.  I found this woman who drank coffee very attractive (still do) and she was a much better student than I was (which mattered since we were both in grad school).  So I thought maybe it was time to give coffee a try.  It may impress this lady and who knows, coffee might be the source of her outstanding academic abilities.  I made a point to go out and buy a coffee pot (no small expense for a poor grad student) and to solicit her advice as to what type of coffee I should drink.  And guess what - it worked!  Developing a coffee addiction resulted in this woman marrying me and a greatly improved GPA (as well as kidney stones, but what is life without a few trade-offs). Now I am hooked - on coffee and the woman who, like Eve, led me into temptation. 
I have a number of habits and a few addictions (Cheez Its crackers falling into both categories) most of which I don't recall when I picked them up.  Yet every single one of them started somewhere and most likely began as an attempt to impress someone else.  It is truly amazing the lengths to which I will go to be liked and fit in.  As a child of say 8 or 9 all I wanted was to be selected for our church's youth choir.  The kids in that choir were so cool, got to sing the latest songs and the boys, oh, the boys got to wear lime green polyester leisure suits. At the time I thought that was the end all be all of existence.  What better way to fit in with the "in" group than to wear clothes made out of a fabric that does not breath or exist in nature.  And honestly, nothing says, "please like me" more than a boy who willingly dons lime green.  OK, show choir outfits with all those sequins are a more desperate cry for acceptance, but the leisure suit is a very close second.
I long ago kicked the leisure suit habit.  What I remember from that period of my life was the wanting to be part of the group.  The need to feel accepted and wanted is wired into almost all human beings.  We are social animals who desire community.  Yet, we can also be unbelievably cruel to each other and invent elaborate and creative ways to exclude each one another. The very primal need to be accepted results in us behaving in ways that reject others.  Fascinating creatures, we humans.
I guess that is why for the last two thousand years or so those who call themselves followers of Jesus have struggled to live out our faith.  The gospel is about inclusion, about God opening up the doors and inviting everyone to the table.  No one gets left out, no one is excluded.  This is tremendous news to those of us who have felt unwanted or ignored.  Finally, we are the "in" crowd.  There is only one catch.  As we have been welcomed, just as we are (with or without the lime green leisure suit) so we are to welcome others. Sounds great.  No problem.  Wait, how do we do that?
We give it a shot, make an effort to be open, but old habits die hard.  Soon, those of us who have been blessed by God start making up ways to deny those same blessings to others.  You have to dress a certain way, think a certain way, make a so much money, be married, single, straight, gay, old, young...  Little wonder that some folks look at us, the followers of Jesus, and just shake their heads.
But, here is some good news.  God's love and acceptance, God's gracious invitation to the fullness of life through Jesus Christ is greater than our ability to restrict it.  Every time we put a barrier up, God comes along and knocks it down.  Each time we say "no" to someone God turns around and gives them the best seat in the house.  And each time we mess it up, God looks at us, smiles, and says "Let's try this again.  Everybody is welcome."  Even those of us who don't always get it right are still welcome into the kingdom of God.
If you have been excluded by the church before, take heart.  God has never rescinded your invitation to the party.  For those of us who have excluded others, take heart.  Becoming Christ-like is a long process.  And for all of us, hear the good news.  Through Jesus Christ God has invited each and every one of us to the fullness of life.  Enjoy it, rejoice in it, live it and then, share it with someone else.  No matter who they are, what they dress like, or what kind of beverage their soon-to-be spouse gets them hooked on.