Autoimmunity

“Recently a friend of mine started living for the Lord. After a year of sharing his faith vocally, we had coffee and he told me something he found surprising. He said that in chess, the pawn pieces are used to advance the more important pieces. They go forward and sacrifice themselves to create opportunities for the Queen, King and Bishop. He thought of himself as a pawn, trying to actively serve the needs of others and serve the kingdom, clear that life isn’t about him. He said the biggest surprise though was that the more he served and lived a life for Christ, the more he felt attacked. But not by other people, by other Christians. He was confused because he’s never seen a King attack its own pawn in a game of chess. He’d never seen a Bishop take out its own pawn, but the more time he spent in church, the more he got attacked by the people who were supposed to be his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I started to think about that because it’s an issue I keep seeing come up. A pastor once said, ‘Nobody is as mean as Christians who are being mean for Jesus’” (Jon Acuff, “Why Are Christians Such Jerks?”, www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/).
Have you heard of “autoimmune disease?”  It is a physical condition that results in the immune system attacking healthy cells.  It is a case of mistaken identity, where the body turns on itself and damages its own tissue.  The general term refers to a group of more than 80 serious, chronic illnesses of the human body, including rheumatoid arthritis, Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and lupus.    It is estimated that up to 23.5 million Americans have an autoimmune disorder.
Something is seriously wrong when a physical body begins to attack itself.  The same is true of the spiritual body of Christ.  “But if you bite and devour one another, take care lest you be consumed by one another” (Galatians 5:15).  Remember -- we are on the same team.  Save the artillery for the real enemy.

God loves you!

Mike