Comic Belief: Funny-Looking Clothes

Charles Lowery

Charles Lowery

Charles Lowery is president and CEO of Lowery Institute for Excellence, Inc., a non-profit training and consulting organization. This article was adapted from his book, “Comic Belief 2”

An interviewee for a job at a famous art gallery was asked, “If you could save one picture from fire, which piece would it be?” He answered, “I’d save the piece closest to the exit.” That is how we think — often just of ourselves. Singular thinking makes it difficult to walk together. Churches can be like going to a fight and a hockey game breaks out. We don’t have the unity of the Christ.

As a psychologist, many times I met with men who had been married for around five years and wanted a divorce. They thought they were incompatible with their wives. But incompatibility is what attracted them in the first place. Her strengths countered his weaknesses. We are all, in a sense, incompatible.

We are all different. God did not create divine duplicates — and He does not want everyone to look, act and smell alike. The disciples were different, but they had a common goal. God used their differences to reach a variety of people, and He will do the same with us. The church ship has no passengers. We are all crew, and our job is to fill the ship. Our combined gifts create smooth sailing.

Our daughter Kasey was in a band in school — all students participated — and she chose the clarinet. I passed all of my musical ability down to my children, which is none whatsoever. Her practices were screeching noises, and I dreaded the upcoming concert. I sensed disaster. Sure enough, there they were — a room full of Kaseys warming up. It was sounding really bad. The conductor directed them to the same page of the same song. It sounded pretty good. That is how God works. You may think you are a failure — but when we all play together, God makes beautiful music.

Jesus is the core of unity. He is the conductor that keeps us on the same page. People may say that the core is love, but love will not sustain unity. Love is an emotion — and until love becomes a decision, love will not sustain.

Love doesn’t sustain a marriage. Marriage sustains the love. Commitments to what we believe are what sustain us. The Bible doesn’t just say love, love, love; it has principles, guidelines, purpose and direction. This unifies.

We worship the same Lord, we have the same faith, and we are all together demonstrating this. This faith is what unifies us. We may not have unity on the externals, but we are unified in this faith.

I went to a large garage sale, and an item on the front table was the most beautiful nativity set I have ever seen. It was carved by hand from olive wood. The price was unusually cheap. I asked why such a cheap price, and they asked me if I had looked carefully at the nativity. Upon closer inspection, I realized I couldn’t find Jesus. They had lost Jesus last year — and without Him, it is just a nice wooden building with people wearing funny-looking clothes. I couldn’t help but think that many churches are like that. They are so beautiful, but they have lost Jesus — and now they are just nice buildings with people wearing funny-looking clothes.

Some churches have not lost Him, but He is a crutch and not the commander. They call on Him in times of trouble, but He does not set the agenda. He is not the leader, and there is no distinction between Him and the people. The Bible clearly shows us that He is the head, the leader.

Physically speaking, without your head, you are dead. You can adjust to life without your arm or your foot — but if you lose your head, you are dead. The church can adjust to life without everything except the head, the Christ.

The question is, “Is your church just a nice building with people wearing funny-looking clothes?” To answer the question, you might look for Jesus. n

Charles Lowery is president and CEO of Lowery Institute for Excellence, Inc., a non-profit training and consulting organization. This article was adapted from his book, “Comic Belief 2.” For more information, visit CharlesLowery.com.