I don't like to be controversial. Not here on my blog or on my Facebook page or in my real life. It's not who I am. But there's something I've discovered the last couple years related to an attitude we Christians sometimes take on.
An air of superiority.
You see it especially during election time (on all sides of every argument) and it makes me want to avoid news media altogether.
I write this blog in the most transparent way I possibly can, and I put myself out there because I hope that someone might have a revelation based on my mistakes (they are many). But sometimes people feel the need to "correct" said revelations with what they feel is truth, and to be honest, it's kind of a turn off.
See, here's the deal. We're all growing and learning, but my truth isn't necessarily going to be the same as yours because what God is doing in my life is different than what he's doing in yours. And it's pretty hard to have a breakthrough (especially, for me, where food is concerned) and have someone tell you for some reason that it's wrong.
Sometimes my revelations are simple (if I eat sugar, I get a headache) and other times they're much deeper (the actions of man should never be attributed to God.) Each has its place in my life. One isn't better or truer than another. Both are truth, just in different forms.
I've discovered some eye-opening things sitting over here on the sidelines the past two years.
During this time, I've watched and listened to people who don't particularly like Christians. Do I think it's fair to group us all together based on the actions of one person? No way. But it has caused me to go into myself and analyze my own behavior...because the fact is, I never want to be the reason someone walks away from God.
I've had to shift my own thinking several times because, I'm embarrassed to admit, sometimes these behaviors were my own.
This is in no way an exhaustive list, but here are five reasons {some} people don't like {some} Christians:
1. Some Christians presume to know more than they really know.
Like I said above, revelation is different for everyone. My God-breathed revelation may just be common sense to you and vice versa. We can't assume we know what someone else is going through or how God is dealing with them. In short, we don't know everything. A sense of being a know-it-all is one of the fastest ways to turn someone off. Especially someone who didn't ask for your opinion in the first place.
2. Some Christians rebuke and condemn rather than encourage and uplift.
Because we believe the Bible is the Word of God, it's a very black and white world for us Christ-followers. But what we don't always realize is that the world at large lives in various shades of gray. Fifty, to be exact. We're all at different points in our Christian walk, and one of the fastest ways to drive someone away from God is to hand over a list of everything they are doing wrong. I'm not saying it's right to condone sin, but there's a way to share truth...having a God-revelation is, by nature, uplifting...if no one sees that, why would they want what you're offering?
3. Some Christians live in denial of their own sin, choosing instead to judge only the sins of others.
We all know people who never admit they're wrong about anything. Ever. Instead, they point fingers and talk about how they were once lost like you are. It's impossible to receive from someone who admits no wrong. At the same time, walking through life with a phony smile, pretending all is right in your world (when it's so obviously not) also serves no purpose. God can use our pain if we let him. Otherwise, what was the point of it in the first place?
4. We're all sinners. Yep. Even the Christians.
The fact is, sin is sin, which means none of us are better than anyone else. We have to remember we're all saved by grace...whether our sin is murder or gossip or something else entirely. It's easy to justify our own wrong-doing when it's "not as bad as that guy's." But not a single one of us deserves what God's offering. I'm shamed when I think of my own thoughts in this area. That as long as I don't do XY or Z I must be doing pretty good...but that other guy...yow! I'd hate to be lost like he is. That judgmental attitude has never served anyone well. If this list were in any particular order, I think this would be #1.
5. Some Christians forget that Jesus loved everyone.
It didn't matter who you were or where you came from or what you'd done...it didn't surprise Jesus. It didn't turn him off. He didn't withdraw his offering because someone else didn't have it all figured out yet, but we sometimes do. We shake our heads at the indiscretions of others, shameful acts that we would never do. But this behavior can separate us from the love of Christ, don't you think?
(Saw this image on Facebook and thought it fit.)
Still...SO MANY Christians are committed to doing GOOD.
On the sidelines, I've witnessed these things over and over again...but thankfully, I've also seen Christians who demonstrate the exact opposite of this behavior. They are loving and kind and doing their best. They're honest and faithful and look for ways to build up rather than tear down.
It's hard when people condemn you for your beliefs (no matter what they are), but the best chance we have at painting Jesus in a good light is to rise above, to listen and not to condemn.
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up,
just as in fact you are doing.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Question for You: What ways have you found for being effective in sharing God's love?
