Over-protected?

As I fiddled with the key of the padlock to my garden gate for the umpteenth time, I thought how much simpler life would be if I could just lift the latch and walk through. Voices from the past run through my head: "We never thought of locking even our front doors in the old days." But I take these precautions because this is a different day. I am aware of possible intruders close at hand. There are children around who would think nothing of barging through my front door uninvited if I left it unlocked and my attention was somewhere else.

It is the same with the telephone. More often than not, when it rings, my space is being invaded by some stranger trying to get me to sign up for something. I find myself picking up the receiver in a wary and apprehensive frame of mind.

Yet with this mindset there comes a sense of guilt. As a church pastor, am I not supposed to be open to all types of people? Folk expect hermits and oddballs to pull up the drawbridge when someone approaches, but surely not a minister of a church!

To quote the catchphrase from an outreach campaign in time past, "What would Jesus do?" He certainly gained a reputation for approaching social misfits whom others shied away from. Centuries-old taboos around lepers, non-Jews and tax-gatherers meant nothing to Him. He proclaimed salvation to those with whom nobody else would spend time.

Even for Him, though, there were limits. In Matthew 7:6 He advises, "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces."

The Son of Man who had "nowhere to lay His head" still felt the need to give Himself space, to put a distance between Himself and time-wasters. We are right to protect our own interests. Even so, we should be on the lookout for someone, at least, who is by-passed in society yet who can benefit from a kind deed or a thoughtful word from us as Christians.