The Need for Complexity

Do you ever wish people around you were less complicated? Certain individuals are just…exhausting. It might be a boss who is impossible to please or a coworker who always contradicts you in meetings. It might be an in-law who creates chaos at every family gathering. It could be a teacher who seems to assign grades by throwing darts at a board. It's easy to assume that if these particular people would just get their act together, your life would be easier.

Easier is not the same thing as better, though. Differences bring strength to everything we do as humans. Rather than waiting for complicated people to change, we need to upgrade our perspective of complexity.

Jesus modeled this with his twelve disciples. He put together a team that wasn’t just diverse—it was a powder keg ready to explode. And he did it on purpose. For example, Simon the Zealot was an ex-member of a Jewish organization that advocated the violent overthrow of the Romans who ruled over Israel. On the other hand, Matthew was an ex-tax collector, which meant he had worked hand-in-hand with the Romans to oppress the Jewish people. The only way these two would ever be in the same room was if Jesus invited them. Nevertheless, can you imagine the awkwardness when those two had to hang out?

Simon the Zealot and Matthew the Tax Collector illustrate two things we must do as Jesus followers to engage with people who are different from us.

1. Following Jesus requires us to lay down our past. Is there anything in your upbringing or your history that is keeping you from embracing certain people? Any prejudice or stereotypes? Any hurts or bitterness? Any mistakes or failures? Any false beliefs or old mindsets? We can’t take our cues from the rearview mirror if we’re going to step into all that God has for us in the future.
2. Following Jesus requires us to lay down our differences. Every church or faith community is made of people with wildly different backgrounds, experiences, political persuasions, and opinions. What makes Christians different is the ability to set aside their differences and come together for a cause bigger than their own.

Learn to value the diversity that complicated people represent. Instead of wishing everyone else would adjust their behavior, see if you can adjust your expectations. Maybe they’re not bad or rude or mean or ignorant—they’re just different, and their difference will add something to you if you’re able to embrace it and learn from it.

Could it be that you have some preconceived ideas of what people should do, say, or think? Just imagine what it would look like for you to decide to work with the mess, knowing that God often brings complicated people together to create something beautiful.

Prayer

God, help me see the beauty in the people I encounter today. Instead of being frustrated by their differences or judging them for the things I don’t like about them, give me grace to love them and to believe the best. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.