James Curtis

The other day I was talking to a female friend of mine. We were having a talk and she said that she really enjoyed the lesson I gave in class on Wednesday. I was touched, but I’ve never really responded well to compliments. I get all weird about it and never know how to reply. So I’ve decided I’m going to respond to a compliment by giving one back. I said something along the lines of “I just want you to know that I think you’re a wonderful woman, and you’re a great example to all. I’m excited to be around you cause you encourage me to be better.” Before I hit send things got really awkward for me again…more than usual. I thought…she’s going to think I’m hitting on her. So I made sure to put in parenthesis “(Don’t worry, I’m not hitting on you, just thought I’d let you know how I feel about you.” Immediately after I sent my message I started thinking. Why is it that in order to compliment a girl, you have to like her?

Then I realized it really doesn’t end there. Have you ever thought about how “black and white” our culture is? You’re cool or you’re a looser. You’re a friend or I don’t like you very much. You’re fun or you’re boring, funny or dull, clean or dirty, pure or a skank, the list goes on and on. This, I find to be ridiculous. I can’t speak for the whole world, but I know that this country is one that embraces the culture of black and white, everything down to politics. You’re a democrat or you’re a republican. There is a third party, but that’s mostly a joke.

This brings me around to the point though. As Christians we must throw down the idea of the black and white and acknowledge that there is a gray area and almost all of us have fallen into it. As Christians we often seem to think there are three areas of sin. I like to call them the “big 3” sins. We all know them. Sex, drugs, and alcohol. We always think that there are two types of people. Those that are in the “big three” category and us “real Christians” who would never dream of doing something so awful. What we often fail to realize is that there are so many other sins. Sometimes the problem is acknowledging, but instead reminding ourselves. We walk around with our nose up, strutting around, letting everyone know we are better than them. After all, we’re real Christians, we don’t partake in the big three.

Christ came down to Earth and shook everyone up with this very concept. We can find this in Matthew 5:

“²¹“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ ²²But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment…²⁷“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ ²⁸But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart… ³¹“It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³²But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery… ³³“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ ³⁴But I tell you, Do not swear at all…³⁸“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ ³⁹But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also…⁴³“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”

Christ makes it very clear that there is a gray area in sinning. I just picture a conversation between Jesus and a man trying to preach saying “well yeah, you can’t murder…that’s a sin. Good thing I’ve never murdered anyone.” And Christ came down and said “No, don’t you get it? There’s so much more than that. You shouldn’t even be mad at a fellow brother.” The man is a little disheartened and says “Well, okay, I’m guilty of that…but at least I’ve never cheated on my wife.” Jesus just looks at him and goes “Brother, you don’t get it. You shouldn’t even LOOK at other women.” And Jesus would sit there and try and try and try to convince this man that he needs Jesus to die for him just as much as anyone else.

It’s a very tough concept to listen to though, isn’t it? I know I often find myself feeling a little self righteous thinking about how I don’t do anything bad, but I forget about the gray area. I need Jesus just as much as anyone else. I need Him as much as the girl prostituting herself for crack, and I need Him just as much as any preacher of any church. Nobody escapes the need of Jesus to die for their sins. Anyone who tries to convince themselves otherwise is a fool and there’s no way around it. It’s only through the blood of Christ that we could even dream of becoming near to God

My name is James Gordon Curtis. I refuse to acknowledge the black and white society in which we live and toss it aside to allow room for the gray area that I know I fall in to. I don’t smoke crack. I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. I don’t have sex. This in no way means that I am not a sinner. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if God chose to use a person who did everything on that list before He chose me. I am a worthless, filthy sinner and it’s only through the grace of God who sent His son to live and die for me that I may even come close to being worthy of entering the gates of Heaven. I am in the gray area. And I refuse to believe it doesn’t exist. And one thing I know more than anything else in this world is that I am not alone in here.