Tired of Trolls

No more trolls! I am adamant about this! I am tired of them! I am not talking about the cute little troll dolls with wrinkled faces and brightly colored hair that were so popular in the 1960's. I am talking about the wicked troll who lies in wait, up to no good, trying to deter people on their journey to a better place. Wikipedia describes trolls as large,dimwitted, nocturnal creatures who enjoy cruelty. Many of us remember the story of Billy Goats Gruff. They were trying to get over the bridge to greener pastures. But, under the bridge lived a wicked, ugly and mean troll, remember? His job, as he saw it, was to keep people (billy goats) from crossing over his bridge. And so he sat under the bridge until he heard them coming, jumped out, yelled at and threatened to eat them. Some fables have the wicked trolls eating the travelers, others tell that the trolls force the travelers to earn the right to cross the bridge, and so he sends them on unrealistic tasks, quests for treasures too dangerous or utterly impossible to acquire.
I know that some of us in the church are trolls. We smile as we worship and we season our conversations with words about love and forgiveness and grace and mercy. We are happy when new people come to the Lord, thrilled when they express a desire to live a Christian life. Like the travelers of old fables, they are looking for a better place. They are headed for spiritually greener pastures, longing to be in a field where the Good Shepherd provides food, safety and guidance. We should be rejoicing and doing everything in our power to help them. But, some of us are trolls. We look at them and decide they do not quite measure up to what we think a church member should be. Granted, they are working on some sinful areas of their lives, but there are so many more, some of them really obvious. We trolls, we are not sure they really deserve to feed in the green pastures. We decide perhaps they could prove themselves. So, we give them some seemingly impossible tasks. We tell them they must accomplish these tasks if they expect to cross our bridge. Some of them try their hardest. Some really make it and we grudgingly allow them passage. Some give up, deciding there are green pastures elsewhere, places without trolls, places where they will be welcome. Some decide to take us on, and after lengthy debates and heated discussions, we eat them alive and they die in their sins. We crawl back under our bridges, satisfied and reassuring ourselves that obviously they didn't have what it takes anyway. We can be such bad trolls!
I heard of a minister who once told a young christian that it was not his job to make her spiritual journey easier. It was between her and God and she would have to just put more effort into it. I was so ashamed that my brother in Christ could be such a troll! Folks, we are our brother's keeper. We are responsible for him! That is why God made this a journey a group project. None of us walks to Heaven alone. We are a part of a community. We live together, we love together, we laugh together, we walk together. And when one of us weeps, we all weep. When one of us rejoices, we all rejoice. When one of us dies, a part of all of us dies. It is our job to make the journey easier for our brothers and sisters. We are called to bear one another's burdens. That makes the journey easier, doesn't it? We are told to forgive one another, that makes the company bearable. We are told to comfort one another, that makes our path easier to see through the tears. We are told to pray for one another, confess to one another, love one another. All of those help all of us on our spiritual walk.
We all make our own decisions. We all are to have a personal and intimate relationship with God and ultimately it truly is ours and ours alone. Yet, I can't help but notice all the one another verses, all the analogies to a body. All of those tell me we are a part of something much bigger than just a bunch of seperate individuals. We are all together on a journey. Our journey will have many ups and downs, many stumbles and some falls. It is my prayer that every one of us is walking and working beside Christian brothers and sisters who are supportive, encouraging and uplifting and that none of us walks beside a troll. I pray for those in our number who when told of a dear sister's growth say, "yes, but . . . " , who when witnessing a soul who is tired of sinning and comes forward again asking for prayers says, "they always come forward when . . . ", who when a soul falls to his knees, begging for forgiveness, asking for prayers and help says, "they will need to prove themselves before I forgive them." I pray for these people. But, I must tell you, I am tired of them. I am weary of praying for and working with those who are truly seeking in home Bible studies and then being afraid to introduce them to some of my brothers and sisters. (Coming to worship should not have to include a warning label) I am just really tired of trolls. And everyday, seriously, everyday, I pray that God will make me less and less troll-like and more and more Christlike. Because I think He too, is tired of trolls.

Peace
Neva