Question: Is it better to be right or to do right?

Or another way of putting it: is it better to be correct or be loving?

I was provoked to this question by recent events in local politics where a controversial person (i.e. an ex ‘political prisoner’) has been appointed to work in an advisory capacity in government.

This appointment is certainly correct in the sense that they are lawfully entitled to take the role, but for a lot of people it was an ill advised move that unnecessarily brought past hurts to the surface. 

Enough of the politics.

Jesus told the story of a man who was robbed, beaten, and left for dead. The religious leaders came past and although he was one of their own people, they left him alone. You see, their law taught them that to touch a dead body would render them unclean - they couldn’t go to worship God if they were unclean. Yes, no question about it - according to law they were within their rights.

But they didn’t do right.

Then along came a man from another tribe; a half-breed tribe whom no-one in the first group would talk to never mind tend to their wounds. And yet that is what he did. So the Samaritan went down in history as ‘good’.

Why? Because he did right.

Jesus goes on to commend the man who did right over the men who were right.

Maybe this is a surprising lesson for us: that being right, that acting within our rights, isn’t really as important as doing what is right.

So go do right.

Love it when amazon come to my door (Taken with instagram)

My kids have a stalling tactic they use to avoid bedtime. Just as I am about to turn off the light they say, ‘Daddy, can you tell me a story about when you were a little boy?’ 

Obviously it would be cruel to pass up this opportunity to talk about myself so I oblige and tell them for the umpteenth time about when I fought with my brother and managed to smash a bone in my hand in the process (and the moral of the story is of course - no fighting!), or some other vaguely interesting anecdote from my past.

They just love stories - indeed, what is our life if it is not simply a collection of stories?

When we meet someone new we get to know them by asking questions in such a way that they tell us their story, or we tell them ours. Stories uncover us as we open our lives to others.

When Paul writes to Timothy he reminds him of the story of his life. A highly trained religious scholar turned terrorist turned missionary church planter and Bible writer; it’s quite the transformation. The main character though, is not Paul. The main character in Paul’s story is God. To paraphrase him - ‘the reason that God rescued me was to put His Son on display to the world, so that this great rescue could come to others too.’

So in the story of our lives, there are a myriad of characters, plotlines and settings. Do they point to a God who rescues us through His Son? Or do they point to little old me? If we are Christians, just like St Paul; God has rescued us to put His Son on display. No other reason.

So take a step back and let Him take the starring role.

Family portrait! (Taken with instagram)

Some people like new things. It doesn’t matter if they really need it or not - as long as its new, shiny and preferably made by Apple. It must look the part and work like a dream.

Others prefer all things rustic and retro - opting for charity shop chic instead. In this case it doesn’t really matter if there are bumps, bangs or missing buttons; all these ‘flaws’ do is add more character.

I was struck when reading 1 Timothy that God prefers the latter. Paul (who happened to be the greatest missionary who ever lived) writes of himself as being ‘the chief sinner’. Forgiven, yes. Holy, yes. A saint? Surely. But a sinner?

Elsewhere he writes that when he wants to do good, evil is still there with him ready to pounce. He is aware that he is very much a work in progress, something we often gloss over in all our talk of following Christ. When it comes to church, when it comes to following Jesus, there is one principle that we must always bear in mind: no perfect people allowed.