No.Nonsense.

I posted a video to my personal Facebook page from a man telling the story of his mother. After being stricken with polio, the pastor of their church came to her and told her she was not allowed to return to the church because people were scared of catching her illness. When she said she understood she was damaged goods, the pastor told her God was through with her.

Some time later, a new pastor came to the church and he came to visit her. He not only asked her to come back but asked her to build a non-existent Sunday School. She started with only her two children. Then she went to the local bus company and convinced the owner to give her two buses and two drivers to go pick up the town’s children for church. He agreed to one Sunday only. The next Sunday, he gave her three. Within five years he was providing 35 buses and drivers every Sunday and this church had ministered to thousands of children.

When I heard this story, I didn’t go to the natural place of God using damaged people. I know he does because he uses me.

I went to the first pastor who kicked her out of his church and told her God was through with her because she didn’t fit the picture of a person worthy of God and welcome in the church.

Throughout my life in a pastor’s family- my life in church as a whole- I have seen way too many times when people have been turned away by those who claim to be Christians.

The drug addict with track marks down his arms?

The homeless person standing on the corner with a sign?

The teenager struggling with their sexuality?

The woman who is pregnant and alone?

The man who has lost his family and is sleeping in his car?

The long-haired, tattooed biker who curses a bit too much?

The ex-con who is trying to find his way back?

The single mom? The desperate dad?

And I have one thing to say to every Christian who turned away. . . How dare you?

We live as if we have the inside track to God’s glory only to find out that God’s glory runs through every single one of those damaged people. We sit back in our air conditioned sanctuaries and raise our hands to Heaven and then say it’s someone else’s responsibility to take care of the broken.

We stand on our self-righteous pedestals and tell others, “you’re not good enough for my church. You’re not good enough for God. You’re not good enough for me.”

But let me tell you what Jesus said.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,  I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’  Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’  And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,  you did it to me.’”

I never want my son to see me turn away. I want him to know we will roll down our window and hand the person on the corner our food. We will love the LGBTQ kid. We will embrace the boy in the wheelchair. We will open our home to the friend who is in need. We will not judge by appearance. We will not convict based on choices. We will be genuine in our faith and real in our lives.

When I think about that first pastor my heart breaks because he missed the joy of seeing what God could do because he refused to look past his own narrow-minded view of who God could use. I’m also angry because he looked at a mother who was broken and needed comfort and told her she was not enough.

And in that moment, I believe God cried.

We are called to be people of compassion. How many of us are instead judging those who might be damaged goods?