Storico
March 19th 2007, 11:20 PM
I was thinking about something. If your life's even a bit like mine, maybe you'll be able to identify.
Every day I see a couple hundred people. Sometimes they're the same people I've seen on other days, but not always or even usually. I'm in public often, surrounded by people I don't know well or don't know at all. I don't know their circumstances, what they need, or want, or what they're having problems with. This disengagement isn't anyone's fault, either. The people that I can talk to are the ones that are nearest to me in space, usually: they're asking questions at work or they see me in a library or cafeteria or class. All the same, I can't help but wonder... how, as Christians, are we representing Christ to people who we don't know? ARE we representing Christ? What does it mean to represent Christ in public? How often do we think about it? How does it actually play out? Is it natural to us, or does getting a message across to others come uneasily to us, for whatever reason?
I'd like to throw out those questions at you. What do you think?
My own thoughts:
- There's a difference between representing Christ in public and trying to act religious and holy. People know the difference. What is it? Maybe just this, for example... They'll know you're trying to be kind if you smile, hold a door open and tell them to have a great day. They'll know you're trying to act religious and holy if you make a lot of noise while dragging a bible out of your bag and holding it up in front of your nose as you read so everyone can see what book it is.
- There's a difference between representing Christ and using basic manners, and although both are wonderful, I think when we represent Christ, we're essentially showing other people that we're able to handle any situation with Christ's grace. Even good manners have their limits. Grace seems to go further in that it gives us patience and a reserve we can fall back on.
- There's a difference between sainthood and human nature. We fall into the human nature part. We aren't perfect, and even when we honestly try to represent Christ in our day-to-day lives, we're going to mess up from time to time. Rather than looking at it as a failure, though, it's an opportunity. We don't ruin our Christian "witness" when we mess up, I don't think. Messing up gives us the chance to show people we're human and that we need forgiveness too, just like anyone else does.
- There's a difference between wanting to represent Christ and actually doing it in a really practical way. Every day, we can do it. It can be in public, it can be in our homes, in our jobs, our schools, our public and spiritual groups, it doesn't matter.
Here's what Christ did:
He gave us the challenge of looking after one another. It wasn't optional. It was, to paraphrase, telling us that if we follow Him, we need to obey His commandments and we'll be His friends. We've been asked to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and look after "His sheep". The message was one of obedience, friendship, compassion, charity and humility. We ALL need looking after sometimes. On an everyday level, we need to look after each other and we need to show Christ to each other and to those who have no idea yet who He is. They'll have an idea, it's hoped, if they see us. And they'll want to know more. All without preaching the direct gospel.
We can:
- Say please, thank you, you're welcome, and all of the other polite things to say. ANYONE, Christian or non, ought to do it. But if we're shy or not the type of person to think of making basic, friendly conversation then maybe it's a challenge to us to make a bit of contact. A grocery store line's a good place to start.
- Say "I love you" and "I am sorry". They're two of the most powerful sentences in the English language. Using both more often would really, really help.
- Roll up our sleeves and get to work. Hungry people? Call the soup kitchen and get in. Litter everywhere? Grab a garbage bag and a good pair of gloves. Young mother living down the street? Drop off a plate of cookies and a baby item or two. New person at work? Welcome them and ask them out for a coffee. Shut-in or disabled neighbor? Shovel a driveway for them or pop over to talk.
I think this is where Christ comes into it. When people are hurting and lonely and jaded because they've started to think others don't care, we've got to prove them wrong. It's not about doing good works to look good. That misses the point. The point is that if Christ were alive today, you would not see him looking all official and telling people off and looking down his nose at them or making snide remarks. I think we'd find him talking to people in bars, giving out soup and bread in the soup kitchens, spending an afternoon with a single mother or an elderly man. We wouldn't find him where some people would think to look for him.
Maybe it's the same with us? People don't always find Christ in a church. I didn't. I found Him in other people who knew and loved Him.
Any thoughts?
Every day I see a couple hundred people. Sometimes they're the same people I've seen on other days, but not always or even usually. I'm in public often, surrounded by people I don't know well or don't know at all. I don't know their circumstances, what they need, or want, or what they're having problems with. This disengagement isn't anyone's fault, either. The people that I can talk to are the ones that are nearest to me in space, usually: they're asking questions at work or they see me in a library or cafeteria or class. All the same, I can't help but wonder... how, as Christians, are we representing Christ to people who we don't know? ARE we representing Christ? What does it mean to represent Christ in public? How often do we think about it? How does it actually play out? Is it natural to us, or does getting a message across to others come uneasily to us, for whatever reason?
I'd like to throw out those questions at you. What do you think?
My own thoughts:
- There's a difference between representing Christ in public and trying to act religious and holy. People know the difference. What is it? Maybe just this, for example... They'll know you're trying to be kind if you smile, hold a door open and tell them to have a great day. They'll know you're trying to act religious and holy if you make a lot of noise while dragging a bible out of your bag and holding it up in front of your nose as you read so everyone can see what book it is.
- There's a difference between representing Christ and using basic manners, and although both are wonderful, I think when we represent Christ, we're essentially showing other people that we're able to handle any situation with Christ's grace. Even good manners have their limits. Grace seems to go further in that it gives us patience and a reserve we can fall back on.
- There's a difference between sainthood and human nature. We fall into the human nature part. We aren't perfect, and even when we honestly try to represent Christ in our day-to-day lives, we're going to mess up from time to time. Rather than looking at it as a failure, though, it's an opportunity. We don't ruin our Christian "witness" when we mess up, I don't think. Messing up gives us the chance to show people we're human and that we need forgiveness too, just like anyone else does.
- There's a difference between wanting to represent Christ and actually doing it in a really practical way. Every day, we can do it. It can be in public, it can be in our homes, in our jobs, our schools, our public and spiritual groups, it doesn't matter.
Here's what Christ did:
He gave us the challenge of looking after one another. It wasn't optional. It was, to paraphrase, telling us that if we follow Him, we need to obey His commandments and we'll be His friends. We've been asked to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and look after "His sheep". The message was one of obedience, friendship, compassion, charity and humility. We ALL need looking after sometimes. On an everyday level, we need to look after each other and we need to show Christ to each other and to those who have no idea yet who He is. They'll have an idea, it's hoped, if they see us. And they'll want to know more. All without preaching the direct gospel.
We can:
- Say please, thank you, you're welcome, and all of the other polite things to say. ANYONE, Christian or non, ought to do it. But if we're shy or not the type of person to think of making basic, friendly conversation then maybe it's a challenge to us to make a bit of contact. A grocery store line's a good place to start.
- Say "I love you" and "I am sorry". They're two of the most powerful sentences in the English language. Using both more often would really, really help.
- Roll up our sleeves and get to work. Hungry people? Call the soup kitchen and get in. Litter everywhere? Grab a garbage bag and a good pair of gloves. Young mother living down the street? Drop off a plate of cookies and a baby item or two. New person at work? Welcome them and ask them out for a coffee. Shut-in or disabled neighbor? Shovel a driveway for them or pop over to talk.
I think this is where Christ comes into it. When people are hurting and lonely and jaded because they've started to think others don't care, we've got to prove them wrong. It's not about doing good works to look good. That misses the point. The point is that if Christ were alive today, you would not see him looking all official and telling people off and looking down his nose at them or making snide remarks. I think we'd find him talking to people in bars, giving out soup and bread in the soup kitchens, spending an afternoon with a single mother or an elderly man. We wouldn't find him where some people would think to look for him.
Maybe it's the same with us? People don't always find Christ in a church. I didn't. I found Him in other people who knew and loved Him.
Any thoughts?