I saw the following on a friends facebook status the other day. "Want to see a Christian run real fast? - Tell him how you really feel."
Initially, I laughed out loud. After the laughter, I began thinking about this and the reality of it in our current culture. I grew up in the church, and whenver you asked someone how they were doing, you would get one of any number of pre-cooked Christian responses. Here are a few of my favorite responses to the question, "how are you?"
"I'm blessed, and you?"
"I'm blessed and no less"
"I am blessed beyond the curse brother"
"I am blood bought and spirit filled"
Now, reading some of these, the natural response is laughter, but I think over time, we have become comfortable with giving the response that we think someone wants to hear, rather than just being honest. I think this has also affected how others view Chrstians as well. As Christians, we want everyone to open up, tell us their problems, confess, repent, etc. while we remain unwilling to deal honestly with our own stuff. The truth is, that as a follower of Christ, I don't always feel great. Yes, I believe in and try to walk in Christ's promises for me as revealed through scripture, but the reality is that there are days that I don't feel great. Sometime I get in arguments with my wife, sometimes I get to easily annoyed with my kids, sometimes i am depressed, worried, anxious, fearful, etc.
I love the opportunity to tell people I am doing great, but I think people need truth and honesty. I don't need anyone to feel sorry for me, but I do need them to know what is real. This kind of honesty gives people hope. It lets them know that even "Christians" experience the same struggles that they do. I can't even count the number of opportunities I have had to share Christ with someone, simply because I was honest and vulnerable. This is what people need. Real life, real honesty, real love, real Jesus.
So, the next time someone asks you how you're doing, just look them in the eye and say...
3 comments:
1 Corinthians 13:4. This idea of love is how Christians should live every day to every person who we come in contact with. Loving one another was the final commandment that Jesus gave us. Love is an action not a just a feeling. And love is patient; which can be defined as long suffering. It is suffering without retaliation, suffering without blame and forgivness of those who wrong you. And kindness, though used to often and dilluted, is actually a strong action word that can be defined as being useful serving and gracious. Useful serving and gracious. Is this not how we ought ot live?
So when someone is troubled or heavy hearted or needs support, how better to be useful serving and gracious than to listen to them and ask the Lord to help them according to His will for them. Remind them that everything that is happening in their life does have a purpose and is being done in order to further His devine plan.
As Christians I pray that we be active in our Faith and have our actions towards one another be reflective of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Excellent thoughts Adam. I agree with everything you said, though my focus was more on the idea that it is OK for us as Christ followers to be open, vulnerable and take risks in front of others rather than being too afraid to tell someone what is real.
If someone asked me how I was doing and I responded by saying, well, I am really having a hard time not being angry with my kids right now, and I'm pretty stressed about my finances as well. How would that person respond?
That is my point. We need to lead the way in truth, honesty, vulnerabillity and humility, if that is what we expect and hope for, for others. We should not expect something from others that we are not willing to demonstrate ourselves.
Good thoughts!
Is that woman in the picture about to shoot the guy with the sign? Hmmmm . . .
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