Yesterday, I reposted an old Twitter post by Stephen Bryce that starts out “I am utterly convinced that God will have all kinds of grace if we got the theology wrong…” It continues on to say that we might be more upsetting to Him is if we got the part about loving people, seeking justice, and being merciful wrong, a statement mined from my favorite verse of Scripture, Micah 6:8. My heart leapt the first time I read this. Yes!

I fully believe that God will have compassion on us if we got our theology and eschatology wrong, if we got our Scriptural interpretation a bit off. But if we have chosen to love others with kindness, seek justice for those who need it, show mercy to those to whom life has been harsh, and live our faith humbly and gently in the way He commanded, I fully believe that God will smile upon us at the end. “Welcome home, Dear One.”

Is it possible that I am wrong? Of course it is! I am only human; I am no theologian; I am not gifted with deep discernment in Biblical matters. But, to be honest, I would much rather err on the side of love, justice, and humility while I live this life. Jesus was not dogmatic; He always put others first. Before Himself, before the Temple and priests, before the Sabbath. He reached for people, not pedagogy or precept.

It feels a little like how I teach. I would rather reach for improving my students’ hearts and empathy for others rather than skyrocketing their test scores. I’d rather teach them to take risks in the course of doing good than clinging to the rules as their validation. Perfection does not equate to a well-lived life.

“But I did everything right!”

“But, dear one, did you do anything good?”