« Where am I? And what’s up with that monkey? | Main | Non-News »
Not my job
By Marc | August 27, 2007
When I first accepted Christ into my life, I had a lot of worries. Truth be told, I still do. I wondered things like if I would have to change my sense of humor, if I would eventually have that blank glassy stare and Ken doll smile that my vision of the stereotypical charismatic Christian had, and if I would lose interest and move on like I have with so many things in my life.
I don’t have the same worries I had at the beginning, but I have different ones. I worry how I can relate to my non-Christian friends without feeling like they think I’m trying to proselytize. I really don’t feel comfortable pushing my beliefs on people, and really, I shouldn’t. I can share my experiences, I can share what changes have been made in me since I let God move in, and I can share what I believe in if someone is willing to listen. But I can’t tell someone they’re going to hell and that they’re heretics and blasphemers and such. That’s simply not my job. Plus, I don’t know another person’s course, only God knows that.
Who’s job is it, then? God’s. He is the judge, not me. Personally, I don’t want that job.
But what is my place? What am I supposed to do? I can share. I can love. I can help someone who needs it. I can give. I can tell people what I believe and what the Bible says.
There’s something slippery there that gets misunderstood. Scripture says that sinners are punished for their sins and even tells you what the sins are. It may sound judging if I were to say, “That is a sin and there is a strict punishment for that.” But if I were to dole out the judgment, instead of just informing people that it is an offense, then I would place myself in a position to know God’s decision. I don’t.
The bad thing though, is that some Christians do blurt out their judgments on people as if they were God’s appointed regional judge before they get to the higher courts. They give us a bad name. No wonder atheists think we are judgmental. Some guy with a sign on a street corner tells people (who are just going to the movies or out to dinner) they are going to hell and the lake of fire is waiting for them. These pedestrians then think to themselves, “Oh, just another wacky Christian,” and we all get the label. Again, not our job.
Something else that isn’t my job? Being a Christian. I don’t mean in the sense that it’s not my responsibility, but in the sense that I don’t put on the smock and clock in for a few hours on a weekend. I try to make it my life, a part of me. I make an effort to be who God wants me to be and make Him proud. If I refrain from sinning (even though tempted), it’s not because of a fear of punishment, but because I want Him to be pleased with me and I want to be pleased with myself.
Like the finger-pointers, there are some Christians who give us a bad name. The ones who turn it on and off on Sunday morning, but live how they want after services. Non-Christians like to point to these people as an example to call us all hypocrites. We’re not all like that, but again we all get a label.
Who we are is not dictated by the actions of a few. We worry if we are relying on God enough. We worry if we should have stopped for a car on the side of the road but didn’t. We worry if we have what it takes to minister to someone close to us. We worry if we worry about taking a risk would mean we don’t trust God to see us through. Lots of us struggle just to be the light we’re meant to be, not the finger that pinches that candle out.
Topics: Faith | No Comments »
