What Christians Can Learn From Atheists

It's a pretty well-known fact that you deeply appreciate what you don't have. Those with little or no money have more respect for the value of currency than a celebrity or CEO who has more money than they know how to spend. People who live alone, or are simply lonely, envy those who have family. Conversely, those with a family may take it for granted that they have people with whom to live and celebrate. In a typical classroom, a student who has a hard time learning out of books may long to have the educational, academic prowess of a fellow classmate. A personal example for me is that those who have a hard time connecting with people are the ones who do it best. They don't have that skill, so they work hard at it and are aware of its importance, perhaps more than someone who was born with the ability to attract and connect with others.

Likewise, I think that Christians who have found acceptance and security in Christ often fail to appreciate what they have. We know that we are safe and loved by God, so we really don't appreciate the feelings of those who do not feel safe and loved. We can come across as mean, harsh, and judgmental as we go about our daily lives, if we are not careful. As I spend time on the internet, I have seen several examples of people outside the Church questioning the mean, critical attitudes of so-called Christians. Meanwhile, those whom we tend to judge, the atheists and 'spiritual' people of the world, tend to be extremely kind. They try their best to make people feel cared about, accepted, and loved. They have not found those things anywhere in the world, but know that they desire and need them, so they try to create it themselves.

Don't get me wrong. I know of atheists who are mean and critical, and many Christians who are warm, kind, and accepting. But, I think that we can get into a dangerous mindset when we forget what being out in the dark, confusing, and lonely world feels like. We steer clear from, or angrily confront, the person with the crazy, controversial ideas. We condemn gays, liberals, and tattooed rockers- or, really, anybody who has different ideas or lifestyles than we do. That is not to say that we must accept every aspect of humanity or every idea that somebody has. After all, as a crazy example, just because we're friendly with somebody who drinks Pepsi doesn't mean that we give up our belief that Coca-Cola is the best soft drink out there. We can hold onto our beliefs while reaching out a hand, a word, or a kind gesture to those who need it.

Because, in the end, people aren't looking to be given a list of criteria to meet. They aren't striving to be criticized or told what they are doing wrong. People are looking to find a place where they feel loved, a place where they can begin to fill the emptiness. And they find that through caring people, who live out the Gospel in their everyday lives, a Gospel that says that no matter how sinful, broken, fallen, or empty you are, you will find love and acceptance here in the arms of the God who bled, died, and rose again just for you.

"And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31)

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all thing... So now faith, hope, and love abide,these three; but the greatest of these is love." (I Corinthians 13:4-13)