Concern about Concern

Some people have told me I think too much. Maybe it's true. Sometimes I get too tied up in things.

Consider a recent Sunday -- the one before Memorial Day -- when the entire song selection was patriotic themes. Some of them mentioned God -- "God Bless America" and such -- and some did not. The "special music" was "I'm Proud to be an American." And there I was, all tied up in things. I mean, look, I'm here in church on Sunday to worship and the only thing stopping me from worshiping is, bottom line, me. They (the congregation, the leadership, the building, the atmosphere, etc.) can't stop me from worshiping. That's between me and God. And yet, there I was, distracted from my primary purpose that morning because I'm thinking, "This isn't helpful. I'm not here to worship America; I'm here to worship God." And when they sang that song about "If my people will humble themselves God will restore America," it really pushed me to the brink. That was not helpful.

But I wasn't done. You see, my very next concern was my concern. Should this concern me? Should this be a problem to me? Can I ask anyone about it? That last was a big one. You don't want to come across as petty, picky, or "holier than thou." You know you're just supposed to "go with the flow." "Don't let your views and preferences get in the way of other people." So there I am, pushed by this apparent patriotic worship session, without an outlet. Because now I'm concerned that I shouldn't be concerned and I certainly can't/shouldn't express it to anyone.

I'm not writing here about these events. I'm writing here about my problem. That was just an illustration of my problem. My problem is I think about these things and my problem is I'm not entirely sure what I'm authorized to say about what I think about these things.

Take, for instance, Cory Asbury's very popular song, Reckless Love, where he delights in the "overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God." Christians are singing this in homes and churches everywhere. But ... is it right? Merriam-Webster defines "reckless" as "marked by lack of proper caution : careless of consequences" or, worse, "irresponsible." Are these the marks of God's love? Asbury himself says they are, that God doesn't care about the consequences of His love. I find that amazingly foolish and ... reckless ("irresponsible"). God knows and cares about the consequences of His love and always accomplishes the purposes He intends. But my point here is no to critique a popular song. My point is that 1) I'm not really supposed to be critiquing ... anything, and 2) if I do, I'm not supposed to tell anyone about it.

So how does this work? Are we not supposed to pay attention to things like this? If we do, are we not supposed to talk about it? If we are, when? At what level? I mean, sure, if we don't like the inflection of his voice when he said it or the tune of that song or the blouse she's wearing, grow up, stop being judgmental, and be quiet until you can be less picky. But as this stuff escalates, at some point it seems like it's important, even dangerous. Do we need to pay attention to that? Do we need to say something about that? Jesus did. Paul did. The Scriptures do. But how do we know when it crosses that line of "personal preference" and petty mindedness into serious error? Because, I have to tell you, most people don't want to hear it. "Don't tell me my pastor is wrong." "You know, you shouldn't really be critiquing the worship music." "It's the way we do it at our church. If you don't like it, just leave." Is that love? I am, you see, concerned about being concerned.