gnats and camels

Priorities are one of those things that turn out to be a lot harder in real life than I thought they would be back when someone else was setting them for me. 

For one thing, life keeps happening, so priorities not only shift over time, they can be different from day to day. On top of that, there are all kinds of strident urgencies that tend to drown out what's really important. And other people expect you to pay attention to their priorities, not yours, and if those are people I value relationships with I tend to go along.

So it's a struggle to keep priorities front and center. Even more so, it's sad to say, for God's priorities. All kinds of false urgencies - worship style, someone's clothing choices, budget matters - can become more important to us than unity and love. Jesus called that straining out gnats but swallowing a camel - read Matthew 23:24.

Just a few verses before that, he warned the people about those gnat-straining, camel-swallowing leaders, in verses 1-5: "Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 'The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.'"

It's the worst kind of church leadership, the kind that demands unnecessary works from people yet denies them the warm love of forgiveness and inclusion. We all agree those Pharisees were a bad bunch, and so is any church leader of today who acts that way.

But here's the thing: we're all leaders. If there's even one single person in the world who values our opinion, who looks to see what we're doing before they decide, then we lead by influence. And leading by influence is far more powerful than leading by authority.

That means that my own camel-swallowing and gnat-straining might be laying those heavy loads on someone else's shoulders. Jesus made his priorities clear: justice, especially for the weakest among us. Speaking up for the voiceless. Loving every person made in God's image (hint - that's all of them.) Putting the unity of the church behind only a very few things. Serving anyone within reach.

When I put my focus on anything else, that's gnat-straining. All those other things, like what the council wears to church or why we always skip verse 3 of "Peace Like a River," are as insignificant as gnats compared to Jesus' priorities.

And when I allow other people to violate those things Jesus says are important - I don't challenge unloving acts, I don't speak for inclusiveness - then I'm swallowing a camel. That kind of disobedience is a big deal.

I need to look out for the camels, and care less about the gnats. That's what church priorities are all about, and my personal priorities, too.