People are People

Why is it always easier to look down on someone with disgust than it is to begin to relate to who they are? I know...deep question to start thinking about this early in the morning. Here's why I am thinking about it:

I happened to talk with a friend yesterday who was being berated by a collections agency over a medical bill. It was a classic example of the lack of communication between insurance companies and health care providers. The person lost in the middle was the patient. The collector was

speaking with disdain and disgust to my friend because the payment had not been made. There was no real concern about the issue; it was a mere matter of finances. The person did not matter; the check did.

I feel like too often we (including me) get lost in

our own personal agendas and completely forget that there are multiple sides to any one story. The bankruptcy courts are not just filled with over-spenders, but with people who were down-sized, divorced and otherwise broken. The collection reports are sometimes those who were overzealous in their purchase agreements; they are just as likely those who are encountering situations they never dreamed would exist. They've just discovered a horrific disease. The other car seemingly came out from nowhere. The company has relocated their job far, far away.

In the early to mid-80s, electronic music was it. One band stood above all others in this particular genre, Depeche Mode. The British band hit it big in 1984/5 with their single, "People are People." Their message resonated in an era of proliferation and posturing. People matter. They might have a different hue to their pigment than you but they are still people. Their 401(K) might have less commas and zeros than yours but they are still people. Their lives might be messier and more confused than yours, however their lives still matter.

One of the core beliefs at Discovery Church is that there are no perfect people. In fact the sign outside of our worship environment says: "No Perfect People Allowed." This does not mean that we do not address our sin or shortcomings. We just enter that discussion with grace. The church needs to be leading the way to acknowledge brokenness, identify the systemic problems that have contributed and begin to address it in meaningful way. After all, people are people. All made to reflect and bear the image of the God.