Building character: it's major, not minor

I was having lunch with one of my RAs (I work in Residence Life at ACU) today, and she said something really profound that, I think, people try to avoid thinking about a lot. She was talking about her relationship with one of her friends, and the fact that this friend is making some choices she shouldn't be making and is spending time with some people she shouldn't be spending time with. My RA told her friend, "Yeah, Jesus spent time with drunks and prostitutes, tax collectors and sinners. But they weren't His inner circle! You can't be constantly surrounding yourself with these people and expect not to fall sometimes."

My sweet, 19-year-old friend spoke some incredible wisdom in that moment. I think the cool, "hipster" thing to do these days is to say, "Screw the system! Let's hang out in bars and with potheads and drunks and stuff. They just need to know the love of Jesus." That's true. They do need to know the love of Jesus. But if their perception of what Jesus' love means includes a lack of accountability, then what good are we doing those people, anyway? And if we don't have a righteous, encouraging, disciplined community of friends to turn to, it isn't likely that we'll be able to resist temptation long-term. I guess I must be referencing the old scriptural cliché: "Bad company corrupts good character."

I agree with that to an extent. If the bad only commune with the bad and the good only commune with the good, who is bringing hope to the bad? No one. And who is broadening the perspective and capacity to love of the good? No one. Yes, we have much to learn from the "bad" ("bad" goes in quotes because it is not absolute, nor is it necessarily the most accurate description of the group I reference. For the sake of simplicity, the good-bad dichotomy makes the most sense). But, I'd be fooling myself if I said that I can spend all my time with people who consistently get drunk and not be tempted to give in to drunkenness. If I'm going to transcend that barrier, I cannot do it alone. Jesus did it consistently with twelve other people at his back. How arrogant of me to assume that my moral fiber is stronger than that of the man who said, "Hey, I'll volunteer to die on behalf of the good and the bad. They're all the same to me. Dichotomy shattered. Barrier broken." No, I think I need some Jameses, Andrews, and Bartholomews of my own. If we seek out those who are far from the Lord as a community, we provide the proper context to hold each other accountable in our time spent with those who are immersed in darkness.

Should I give my time to the liars, cheaters, drunks, potheads, adulterers? Absolutely. Should I do it alone? No. I should do it alongside my fellow Christian liars, cheaters, drunks, potheads, and adulterers. Because we've all been there, too, but we've just been fortunate enough to accept and receive redemption already. We're no better than the ones who are still dwelling in it. My dust is no better than theirs, because we all come from the same dust, and to the dust we will return. I am never better than them.

Bad company can corrupt good character, yes. And self-righteous, closed-minded pretentiousness prevents any kind of character that can do kingdom work from being built. He humbled Himself to the point of death, even to death on a cross. It isn't too much trouble to humble myself in this simple way.

Erin E. Daugherty, Abilene Christian University