When I was growing up, whether it was hanging around my neighborhood or on the school playground, or spending time with my sisters and cousins during family celebrations, it was important to feel as if I was one of the cool kids—one of the insiders.
No one likes to feel on the outs or be pushed to the margins of the social circle.
We all want to be insiders.
Jesus is the ultimate insider; he is God! And yet he came and lived like an outsider. He grew a beard and took on a scratchy robe and hand-made sandals of his culture to be with sinners and outcasts. To hang out with the un-cool kids. And then he took the sin of these outsiders and put it upon himself on the Cross. He traded his perfect life and “cool kid” status for their messed up, broken, and rebellious lives, treating them like insiders in the kingdom of God.
But here’s the truth: We are all outsiders.
Created in the image of our divine God, we have all chosen a life outside of God’s will, outside of his love and protection, because of our sin and rebellion. Because we believed we could manage the knowledge of good and evil, right and wrong for ourselves and better than God could.
But Jesus came and changed the rules on the playground, loving the unlovable outsiders, offering grace and forgiveness.[clickToTweet tweet=”Jesus came & changed the rules on the playground, loving the outsiders, offering grace & forgiveness.” quote=”Jesus came and changed the rules on the playground, loving the outsiders, offering grace and forgiveness.”]
He accepted us and willingly took our sins upon himself, and that’s why we now willingly go and accept and serve others. We now get to shoulder the sins of others by taking up their pain and sharing their burdens, like Jesus did for us. We invite them to the party. We spend time loving the unlovable of the world because we have been loved by Jesus.
Who Are Your Outsiders?
Who are those in your life that right now, today, that you would classify as the “outsiders”? How much time do you spend with them? What would it look like to offer them a place at the table and bring them “into the party” with you?
The next best time to begin to treat the outsiders like insiders is now. Get out there, get your hands dirty and get a shoulder under someone else’s pain and messiness. You’ll look a whole lot like Jesus when you do.
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