< BOLD >

I like your Christ; 
I do not like 
your Christians.  
—Mohandas Ghandi

This quote has been on my mind a lot in the last couple months. There are likely thousands of others who share this viewpoint, and I can't say I blame them. 

The term "Christian" really doesn't mean anything. Or rather, it has grown to encompass such a broad spectrum of beliefs and behaviors that I would venture to say the term has become as far removed as ever from its original meaning of "one who follows Christ," and has even taken on a negative connotation.

I can't help but wonder about the traits of those Christians Ghandi encountered. Were they self-righteous? Self-centered? Self-aggrandizing? Did they justify nefarious behavior for the purposes of proselytizing? Did they discriminate? Judge? Belittle? Perhaps the opposite—perhaps their lives were marked by idle indifference or passivity. Or, perhaps Ghandi was unable to discern any difference between the lives of Christians and the lives of non-Christians—in which case, what's the point?

This is not a post about hypocrisy, or abuses of the church, or political extremism. I just wanted to share what has been on my heart, in the hope that maybe what I have to say will encourage others who face similar challenges of faith. Lately, I've felt called to examine my own life and my own belief system, and ask myself whether I could have been the type of "Christian" that led Ghandi to make that statement. 

Living as an authentic Christ follower is hard. That's not an excuse, it's just a fact. Jesus confirmed this would be the case when he told his disciples (the first Christ followers) very clearly, In this world you will have trouble. (John 16:33) He didn't say, "you might  have trouble." He also told them, Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. (Luke 6:22)  Not "if  they hate, exclude, insult, reject"... when. 

One thing that is  easy in today's America is to be comfortable. I include myself in this statement. It is so easy for me to settle into a routine and live a vanilla life. Yes, I have occasional adventures, but usually for my own enjoyment. Am I really living the way Christ intended? What would that  life look like?

Among other characteristics, a life that follows Christ is one of love, selflessness, compassion, patience, self-control, generosity, kindness... boldness. I found over two dozen Bible verses that contain the word "boldness," many of which have to do with professing one's faith, and living a life that reflects it. (Acts 4:13, Philippians 1:20, I John 4:17, among others).

Choosing to boldly follow Christ takes courage. Why? Because doing so means willingly stepping into trouble, hatred, exclusion, insults, and rejection. So why would anyone deliberately follow that path? The truth is, fear keeps many from doing just that. And admittedly, it has been a challenge for me.

But what I have discovered is that despite the difficulties we are sure to encounter for following Christ, we do not face those challenges alone. (Deuteronomy 31:8, Matthew 28:20)

In fact, we have been promised two rewards when we do: 

1. Victory over the troubles of the world. 
[T]ake heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) 

2. Blessing when we endure troubles for following Christ. 
Blessed are you when men hate... exclude... insult... reject... (Luke 6:22) 

This means we will move past the negative experiences to receive the blessing that flows when we cast our fears aside and boldly follow Him.  I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10) Christ empowers us to share out of the abundance we receive and be a blessing to others—to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a world that desperately needs Him. 

I can't help but wonder what Ghandi would have said had he met Christians whose lives truly reflected Christ. We can only speculate. Personally, I have reached a point in my life where I want to embrace boldness, live authentically, and reflect the light of Christ in a dark world.  

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14,16)  

Choosing my words

You know when you overhear that comment about you that you weren't supposed to hear? Something that probably would have been said in a different way with more carefully chosen words had the speaker known you'd be listening?

Yeah. That happened to me today.

We've all been guilty of bad-mouthing at some point or another. No one can be on their best behavior all the time. And while the comments I heard immediately hurt my feelings, made me defensive and stirred up a bunch of negative emotions, the words also made me think about what I had done to provoke such comments. I also got to thinking about what I say about other people who I assume aren't listening.

There is a Russian saying, "слова слова слова!" ("words, words, words!"), meaning that whatever has been said is empty and meaningless. Yet, words have immense power. Even the most innocent of remarks can cause great harm -- or great good.

How many proverbs and psalms and nuggets of wisdom have been written about choosing words wisely? One slip of the tongue can end a friendship, dissolve a marriage, ruin a business, end a political campaign or even a presidency. If words are this important, why aren't we more careful with what we say? Is it because we're lazy? Does it take too much time and effort to think about what we say before we say it -- do we think it doesn't really matter? Or is it because we live in such a fast-paced world that we assume people aren't listening most of the time anyway?

I heard a great quote by Maya Angelou when I was in college and it's one I need to remind myself of more often: "People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel."

Words can wound; words can heal. Words can destroy; words can uplift. Words can ruin someone's day; words can make someone's day.

I can't control the words that come out of other people's mouths, but I can control my own. I have to believe that if I do, the likelihood of a repeat of today will be greatly diminished. And that's incentive enough for me.