Are you concerned about holiness?

From time to time, I begin to get overwhelmed by life and wonder if I am taking enough responsibility for my own growth and development. Lately I have noticed that some of my friends are neglecting to pursue Christ and not growing up into holiness. We are all going to grow up, the only difference between us is that some are going to grow up into holiness and some are going to grow up into self-fulfillment. I am fully aware that there are people in the church who make Christians look bad by being legalistic, guilt-trippers, or just plain overly simplistic about following Christ. But on the other hand, I don't think the wisest course to combat that is reactionary sin or self-indulgence. I think the thing that I respect most in the people who have nurtured my faith is how they have seen the sin; the stinky schmaltzy side of the church, and have still decided to pursue relationship instead of distance. They have accepted another as flawed and chosen to love anyway. What does my derision resolve for those who are entrenched in a shame or equity-based faith? And what does despising these embattled ones resolve for me? My own annoyance with them? My impatience? My irritation? I am finding myself at a loss for how this process finishes. Or will I just go 'round and 'round with my friends; spurning them and indulging as a reaction and spurning them and indulging again? The definition of catharsis is a release of emotional tension that restores or refreshes the spirit. I have learned recently that re-living bad experiences is not cathartic, and going over them verbally is also not cathartic. In the truest sense, it does not release the tension of the bad experience. It simply rehashes it and due to the sophistication of the human memory, re-living it also brings back all the strong emotions associated with it. To put it another way, spurning someone for their legalistic attack, and responding by indulging oneself to mock their legalism, isn't solving anything. Pursuing holiness means letting go of how I want to react to confused, legalistic Christians and asking Jesus how he wants me to react. And invariably He answers me that it starts with a composed, mature response of love. As someone who has moved beyond dogmatic thinking, I am responsible to shepherd others to a place of ruthless trust and astonishing grace. Grace for my own legalism and grace for theirs. Grace with room for more than one kind of truth. Grace with room for more than one opinion. Grace with room for more than one method. But not a spineless grace, a directed and resolute grace that can only come from an Abba Father, a Righteous Son and an indisputably Holy Spirit.

Lord, make my spirit holy and let my highest concern be holiness...