The Congo and me....

I'm reading Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller. It has been sitting on my floor for months, just waiting to be read (yes, the floor. I'm out of shelf space in my office). I was hoping to get a jump on my well-read students, to read something they had not seen yet. This past week several have walked in and asked, "have you read that yet? Wow! What a great book." So I decided I better start reading.
Blue is a different sort of book about living the Christian faith. It has themes similar to many I have read (and that's a lot of books), but the way Miller tells his story of search for and struggling with faith is quite different than most. He is honest about it all. I mean, he tells his struggles, his doubts, his continious wrestling with matters of faith and truth and belief and practice.
A few passages have grabbed my attention and won't let me go. One is at the end of the second chapter.

"I know now, from experience, that the path to joy winds through this dark valley. I think every well-adjusted human being has dealt squarely with his or her own depravity. I realize this sounds very Christian, very fundamentalist and browbeating, but I want to tell you this part of what the Christians are saying is true. I think Jesus feels strongly about communicating the idea of our brokenness, and I think it is worth reflection. Nothing is going to change in the Congo until you and I figure out what is wrong with the person in the mirror." (p. 23, italics mine)

Wow. After reading those lines I had to put the book down for a few minutes and pray for forgiveness. No, the thought is nothing new. But in the context of Miller's personal struggle with honest faith it forced me to realize that it is all connected. My actions, thoughts and non-actions do make a difference across the world. There is a ripple effect to sin. Somehow, even my secret sin infects the world like a virus. The answer is not a hefty dose of antibiotics but a reality check by Jesus. Is my life reflecting the life of Jesus? Am I honestly seeking to engage the world, not just those like me, but everyone I come across, with the love of Christ that is supposed to be living in and flowing from me? Miller doesn't call himself a follower of Christianity, but of Christian spirituality. It sounds like a minor difference, but it is not. To him Christianity has become a dirty word that is tossed around by politicians and those who seek to impress. It has been used to justify terrible things in the name of Christ - the crusades and worse. Miller suggests we need a new, honest name. I think I agree.