2 Kinds of People

This is a very rough draft of part of a chapter that I am writing for my book titled "The Divine Scandal." This book might be pretty offensive to some people. Quite frankly, the gospel is pretty offensive too, which is probably why Jesus was murdered so I'm not sure why I am surprised that people would still be offended by it today. The reason I am sharing this part is because it is one of the most conservative parts of the book, so I am warming up to the crazy stuff!  I wrote this after a long run the other day. The words were running through my head so loud that I had to write it down just to quiet my mind. These are basically just my unfiltered thoughts, enjoy!

I’ve heard it said “there are two kinds of people in this world”....hogwash! There are only PEOPLE in this world, and there is only one kind of people in this world....BROKEN people! We are all in the same boat whether we know it or not. Of that one group of people there are two sub groups....those who are aware of their brokenness and those who are not aware of their brokenness. That is all. You are individually unique and not unique all at the same time. There is no one like you. Because of your unique quality your brokenness is expressed different than anyone, but you are broken all the same. Your brokenness might be expressed with an addiction to alcohol or with an addiction to the approval of others or you might be addicted to yourself (aka pride). Consumed by yourself, living in a world where you are all that matters; YOU are YOUR god. We are all sick and in need of a healer. Even if you are a follower of Jesus you still need the healing and transformation of Jesus on a daily basis. Those who are unaware of their sick condition are dangerous on two different levels. One, because the very fact that they are unaware of their sickness hinders them from seeking healing, more specifically, a HEALER! And two, those who are unaware of their sickness spread their disease. I have a really hard time being around people who have no self-awareness. The irony of these individuals is that they cannot see their own reflection that is right in front of their face, but instead they fixate on the brokenness in others. These people love watching the news and condemning the broken individuals that are exploited on TV for everyone else’s entertainment. Yes, they are criminals and you tell yourself that you are obsessed with watching because you need to be “informed.” But the truth is that deep down there is such a deep rooted insecurity inside of you that in some sick twisted way it makes you feel better and more secure about your own life to know that “those people” are more screwed up than you. This helps you sleep at night. They fill their days and conversations with everyone else’s “junk” around them but they never ever talk about or face their own junk. They are never vulnerable and show their true selves and the person that they present to the rest of the world is not who they are at all. They present a polished and shallow version of their true self. They spend a substantial amount of time getting ready to go out in public making sure to hide every blemish.

It probably looks pretty silly to God when he looks down at his children, who all have the same disease but somehow find a way to judge one another and look down on their peers who are just as sick as they are. Can you imagine two cancer patients condemning each other as if one kind of cancer is better than the other? “Well, you have breast cancer and I only have melanoma!” Do we see how ridiculous that sounds? Well, that is how ridiculous we sound! They are both sick and need help! Who cares who is sicker than who?!? Here is a story told by Jesus that illustrates what I am saying perfectly.

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God I thank you that I am not like other men-robbers, evildoers, adulterers-or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to Heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner’

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted”

Luke 18:9-14

Awareness creates desperation. Desperation for healing. Desperation for the One who can heal. Not just heal my body, but the only One who can heal my soul. Jesus gravitated to those we had a deep awareness of their sickness and in turn had an intense desperation for Jesus. They were in the perfect place to encounter Jesus. I want to be stay in a place where I am ripe for an encounter for Jesus. And the only way to stay in that place is to live with a deep awareness of my brokenness, which reminds me of my desperate need for Jesus everyday. So, you are unique, but you are not unique at all. There are not two kinds of people in this world. There are people in this world and you are one of them. The only difference is those who choose to live with an awareness of their condition and those who live blind. Where do you land?