Begging for scraps, hanging close by our heels, ready to aid us at our beck and call, and waiting anxiously by the kitchen table for a little affection after we return from a hard day’s work: this obviously describes a dog, but it seems that this is also how God is sometimes treated. Confession time: I have hesitated with giving a meager ten percent of my earnings, all the while knowing that without God I would have none; I have treated God like my guard dog, ignoring him until I feel threatened, and only then calling on His name and asking him to come quickly to my aid; and there have been many days when I ignore him for the entirety of my work day and offer him up a small prayer before supper. I need to change.
Being treated like a dog is an insult to anyone. God deserves much better. We often sing songs about Jesus being our friend and even acknowledge him as man’s best friend, but that doesn’t excuse us for making him our pet. Unconsciously reversing the order of servant and master constitutes a role reversal.
I think Shane Claiborne, author of The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical, hit the nail on the head when he asks; “What if Jesus meant all that stuff?” Jesus told his followers to do all kinds of things we would be hard pressed to convince Christians to do today. Take it from the early believers who sold all they had and combined their resources to help each other regardless of age, sex, race, status or previous beliefs - a tad more extreme then the ten percent most churches recommend. They hung close to God’s heels, ready to do His bidding at His beck and call, even if it meant martyrdom. Their work became an extension of their worship. “Rejoice always, and give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), suggests that prayer should extend past just dinner time or bedtime ritual. This is the action that should begin and end every activity and event in our lives.
At some point members of the Church became spiritually dyslexic. Now it’s time to implement a role reversal. Taking a step to acknowledge this mistake and striving to become the servants God desires will certainly be a good step toward breathing life back into our churches.
Nathan Swartz has served as the Chaplain at The Salvation Army’s Victoria Addictions and Rehabilitation Centre on 525 Johnson St. since February 2012. He is the husband of the talented Amanda Swartz, a regular writer for spiritually speaking, and the father of Corban Swartz, adventurer, explorer and storyteller extraordinaire.
You can read more posts from our interfaith blog, Spiritually Speaking HERE
