Matthew John, the pastor of Lake Avenue Church, told a story about a tour he says completely changed his perspective. His story has now changed my perspective and perhaps it will also change yours.
Pastor John said that on a visit to New Orleans, he toured a former slave plantation. At the end of the tour, people were invited to write their reactions on a wall. He noticed that the white tourists usually wrote something like, “I can’t believe our ancestors were so cruel;” black visitors wrote, “I can’t believe white people are so cruel;” and foreign visitors wrote, “I can’t believe Americans are so cruel.” What no one seemed to notice or reflect upon was the darkness of their own heart.
It is easy for me to spot evil in others and absolve myself, even though the world’s most notorious villains and I share the same sinful nature. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul reminds us of this inconvenient truth. He writes, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” (Ephesians 2:1-3 ESV)
How can this new perspective affect me? When I hear someone speaking unkindly, instead of condemning them, I want to recognize that this same unkindness is in my own heart and that given the right (or wrong) circumstances, will come pouring out of me. When I read of another politician on the take, I want to recognize that the same greed is lurking deep within me. Instead of blaming everyone else, I want to recognize my own need for a Savior. This week I want to work at loving generously.