“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” —Psalm 139:23–24
The “cheap seats” is a simple term to describe a location in a stadium, in particular, older stadiums. In this day and age, most areas are built with nothing cheap and with the attender in mind. But back in the day, the “cheap seats” were economical for a reason. They were far from the action, many times your view was inhibited by a pillar or by distance, yet you got to have full participation in the moment without the cost others paid.
Today I write from a place of brokenness; a heart of humility. Psalm 139:23–24 is what I pray almost daily. Before I start my day, write a message, type of blog, meet with an individual, post on social media, or … whatever, I whisper those words of the Psalmist.
“Search me, O God … show me any grievous way within me …”
Why do I do that? Because without that heart, I end up buying tickets in the “cheap seats.”
What are the “cheap seats” I speak of? They are the places in life that many of us like to live life. They are places where we like to hurl our opinions over someone (or a situation) even though (1) we are far from the action, (2) have limited insight to the situation, and (3) get to have full participation with little to no personal cost.
The cheap seats are great for keeping your distance so you’re not “associated with a person” while making a seemingly righteous stance. This feeble and destructive response has image of godliness but has nothing to do with Jesus. Why? It’s all about exalting self. Without bringing my heart into check, I make myself look better by publicly (or in my circle of friends) shaming or taking a stab at someone else.
Christians friends, in the words of James, “… this should not be” (James 3:10). We have to be better; we must do better.
Do you want to stand for righteousness? Me too.
Do you want to see holiness in people lives? Me too.
Do you want to see those of influence have a greater impact in the opportunities they’re given? Me too.
Can you do better with your gossip? Me too.
Can you use better self-control with your social media? Me too.
Can you be a better listener? Me too.
Can you do better at treating people with kindness? Me too.
Can we be better at halting our immediate response to any situation by starting with a moment of personal repentance (Psalm 139)?
Me too.
Maybe it’s time we stop being season ticket owners in the cheap seats. We all like to sit in them. You can find the “cheap seats” in the church halls, at coffee shops or on social media. They’re easy to find.
These past couple weeks, seeing the amount of people buying their “cheap seat” tickets to Lauren Daigle’s interview has been astounding. Lauren responded to a question in a way many Christ-followers are not happy with. Personally, I wish she gave a better answer. But then again, that’s my “cheap seat” response. Armed with my 20/20 hindsight and my “cheap seat” location, it’s painless to dissect her and others of influence and affluence. It’s easy to say we’d do better (at least we’d like to think we would) if we had the opportunity.
But I’ve wondered over this past week? What has been more damaging to the body of Christ? A singer’s answer or our responses? A moment missed (in many people’s opinion) or an example we’ve made to the world of how we handle people in our ranks that we don’t agree with?
Do people do the same thing to me as a preacher? Probably. Honestly, I do it to myself. Most Sundays, I walk away from the pulpit thinking that about my sermons: I wish I had said something better. I could have done better with the moment/opportunity I was given.
What should our response have been with Lauren’s statement (and others to come)? I believe it starts here:
“Search me, O God … show me any grievous way within me …”
Before we pick up a rock to throw and a judgment to hurt, can we start with ourselves? Can we check out motives first? Can we exercise Matthew 18 of shutting our slander and dealing with offense with others in a healthy personal way? Please note: Loving others and exercising self-control isn’t a stamp of approval for someone’s decisions or lifestyle. It’s a display of the Fruit of the Spirit. Reactionary posts to make yourself look better only mar our lives with pride and self-righteousness.
The more I start with me first, the less rocks I have to throw at others. The more I begin with my own heart, the better I handle someone else’s heart.
We can do better as the body of Christ. We must do better. For if Jesus was a friend of sinners, why can’t that be said of us too?
So Lord, before I ask the readers of this article to respond to this challenge of personal repentance, please start with me.
“Search me, O God … show me any grievous way within me …”
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This article originally appeared on PDave.me.