Do you remember high school; when you structured everything about yourself so you could fit in with some group? From what TV shows you watched to what you wore to what you listen to and even what you said. Actually come to thing of it; do you remember going to work yesterday?
Today, I was confronted with a something I think affects a lot of people. Or, at least, I hope that I’m not the only one. I’m thirty-one and while I don’t take drastic measures to fit in anymore, it is still so easy to alter my behavior to fit in. Not to the point where I act completely different, but maybe I just don’t stand up for what I believe.
As a child I would run up to people and tell them, “Repent!” Not exactly the best form of evangelism, I know, but the point is, I wasn’t ashamed of what I believed. I was quick to tell someone my favorite musician was Carman. I went to church, I learned about God and I couldn’t imagine anyone not believing the same thing. Flash forward to when I was a teenager and all of a sudden I was quite aware that not everyone thought what I thought. I worked with people that were open about being atheist and would make jokes about religion. To make matters worse I wasn’t plugged into a church and so I wasn’t very strong in my beliefs. Maybe, if I’m honest, I wasn’t sure what I believed. The first couple times I heard people making jokes about God I ignored the uncomfortable feeling and didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to alienate myself. I didn’t want to get into a debate I didn’t think I would win. Yet, if anyone tried to say that the St. Louis Cardinals were anything other than the greatest baseball team to grace the diamond I would be the first to jump in to that argument. It didn’t matter what you said, I would always have a response. I would always get the last word.
Why? Why was I so quick to defend my favorite team, but afraid to speak up for the Savior that died for me? Easy! It was socially acceptable to be a “die hard” Cards fan, but not at all cool to be a “die hard” Jesus fan. So, I sat silently as people made their jokes until it became easy to be quiet and, sadly, even laughed a little myself.
Why is it ok to be loyal to a sports teams where the players come and go but not O.K. to be loyal to a God that is always with me? Why is it O.K. to say I watched “Halloween 47” but not O.K. to say that I watched Passion of the Christ? Why can I listen to songs about sex, drugs, and lost love but not listen to songs about faith, hope, and eternal love? Why can I listen to Bob Marley sing about Jah, but not Chris Tomlin sing about God?
The easiest answer: because society has told us it’s not politically correct; we will offend people by talking about God. Right!? Do you agree? Although, the harder answer is because, we as Christians have allowed society to shut us out. Little by little, we allowed them to tell us what was acceptable and what was not. We told them it was O.K. to do this by not saying anything when somebody made fun of our beliefs, by talking about the Grammy Awards instead of the sermon at church. We did it by conforming to this world instead of being transformed by the renewing of our spirit (Romans 12:2). Until slowly, day by day, we let them move us from the pitcher’s mound, to the outfield, to the dugout, and finally, we quietly walked out of the stadium.
I know there is a difference between reaching people with the Gospel and beating them with it. Obviously, I’m not suggesting we do the latter. But if our beliefs aren’t worth standing up for on Monday, why should they listen to us on Tuesday? If we only talk about what everyone else talks about because we’re too scared to stand out then why should anyone listen to our testimony?
What if Jesus had been too nervous to stand up to the Pharisees? What if He was too scared to tell sinners about God? How different would the world be? Is the Son of God too much for this example? O.K., what if Simon Peter, Paul, Charles Spurgeon, or Billy Graham had been too nervous to stand out for their love of Jesus? Where would the world be? Yes, I mentioned them among biblical figures on purpose. They are all just regular men like you and me; which means we can stand up for Jesus, too. Now, how different could your world be if you stood up for your faith?
I’m not saying you can’t find entertainment in this world. I’m not saying you can’t talk about those things. After all Paul said “…I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:22) I think God gave us the desire to be entertained. However, I have to be a Christian before I’m a Cardinals fan. I’m not a Cardinals fan that goes to church; I’m a Christian that roots for the Cardinals.
So, what if I read the Bible as much as I read Facebook statuses? What if I stood up for God as quickly as I stood up for the Cards? What if I spoke about God as easily as I talked about my favorite TV shows? What if I posted what God has done for me instead of how much I hate Mondays? What if instead of fishing for likes I let God transform me into a fisher of men?
I’m not in high school anymore. I’m not scared anymore. It’s time for me to be a slightly more tactful version of my 5 year old self. I’m not going to point and yell “Repent!” But Jesus died for me, the least I can do is speak up for Him.
