As a Christian in the YMCA, I strive everyday to live out our mission in a way that honors Christ and builds up others in spirit, mind and body.
One of the things I love about the Y is their commitment to be “for all.” That’s not an easy promise to keep, but it’s the right thing to do.
In getting to know more staff and members of the Y, I’m impressed at how many strive everyday to be “for all”. I appreciate the honesty from those who are on the journey to learn how to be for all.
There are always more people to be for, and it takes a lot of humility, patience, wisdom, and compassion to learn how to be for others.
It means a lot to me to have this kind of support from the Y as they gently, methodically, and persistently explore how to be for all in a way that embodies our Christian principles, builds spirit, mind, body for all, and strengthens the foundations of our community.
Because this is such personal work that requires inner transformation, as a Christian my striving to be for all is sourced in Christ.
He is both an example of how to be for the world – a beautiful but often horribly broken world- and be a savior of people – beautifully but also tragically broken people.
Soren Kierkegaard was a Christian writing around the same time the YMCA was being established in Britain, North America, and the world. His writings have been helpful to me in striving to live Christianly in a way that is caring, honest, respectful, and responsible.
His quote below has helped me reflect on how Christ helps me be for all.
I’m not always a very good Christian, and I’m not always very good at being for all.
But I appreciate what Kierkegaard is getting at here for Christians.
My take on the quote: Being saved from our sins should keep us humble and full of unending compassion for others, and when we fail at that, we are reminded of how much humble compassion Christ has towards us, which prompts us to repent and renew our striving to be humble and compassionate, with the help of Christ himself as our teacher and savior.
“It must be firmly maintained that Christ did not come to the world only to set an example for us.
If that were the case we would have law and works-righteousness again.
He comes to save us and in this way be our example.
His very example should humble us, teach us how infinitely far away we are from resembling him.
When we humble ourselves, then Christ is pure compassion.
And in our striving to approach him, he is again our very help.
It alternates: when we are striving, then he is our example; and when we stumble, lose courage, then he is the love that helps us up.
And then he is our example again.”
~ Soren Kierkegaard, Provocations, pg 223
This writing from Kierkegaard helps me frame how I strive to “love my neighbor as myself” which is how I try to be for all.
