A father dragged his college-aged son into the office of one of his professors, Dr. Campolo. The father was angry. It turns out that the son had spent his time at college in a different way than the father had intended.

The father said: “I sent him to college to get a good education, to make something of himself, and people like you got his head turned around. Look at him now. He’s doing mission work. He’s out on the streets with pimps and whores and drug pushers. He’s given away his money to poor old ladies. He’s living like a pauper and all he cares about is reaching out to the losers of the world.” Then the father said, “Don’t get me wrong… I don’t mind being Christian—up to a point.”*

It’s funny, right? But the question we need to ask ourselves is whether or not that’s actually our own attitude. “I don’t mind being Christian—up to a point.” We might not say that out loud, but do we think it?

For us, the context, issues and situation might be different than that young man in college. God has given you different gifts, experiences and opportunities. But that same thinking can still get lodged into our minds. When it comes to how we are called to live in the world, do we follow Jesus—but only up to a point?

Listen to these words from Mark 8:34-35: “And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.’”

There have been times in my life when I needed to take a long, honest look in the mirror. Do I actually trust God in this situation? Do I really want to follow Jesus? Do I take seriously what the Word says about love, truth, mercy and holiness?

None of us have fully arrived; we all have work to do. That’s just the plain truth. Fortunately, life is a journey and a forgiving Christ is on the path ahead of us summoning us forward. 

Let’s commit to honest growth. What lies ahead with God is always better than what lies behind.

Notes:

-*Tony Campolo, Stories That Feed Your Soul (California: Regal Light, 2010), 159.
-Bible quotes are from the ESV.