"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians, your Christians are nothing like your Christ." -Ghandi
This is a quote I have known for some time, and have always admired the eloquence of Ghandi's words. This last Sunday, this quote was included in our Men's class lesson and it struck a slightly new nerve with me... Ghandi is right.
Approximately 2.1 billion people on this planet claim Christianity... if there were even 1/4 that many people who were truly following Christ, would the world even be recognizable? Lets even cut that down to the 76% of Americans who claim Christianity, that is approximately 225,000,000 people over the age of 18. Lets say that the average income for these people is $20,000, if we gave the 10% to tithing that we are called to do, American giving alone would be in the neighborhood of $5,500,000,000,000... every year. But that is somewhat of a different topic...
Why are we so apprehensive to be Christ-like in our everyday lives? Do we believe Christ is irrelevant for our current world? Is it too hard?
Relevance- Christ's life was spent serving the poor, oppressed people around Him, aiding the sick, feeding the hungry, and showing the people He came in contact with that God loved them. How is that message not relevant to our world? Are there no more poor, hungry, and sick? Do people no longer need to know that God loves them? So, our lack of Christ-like living should not be coming from a lack of need... so, de-bunk this one
Too hard- This one would probably be where I have hidden most of the time. It is just too difficult for me to get outside of my comfort zone and treat someone with the attitude of Christ. It is too tiring to act like I care about some of the idiots in the world. I don't want to pretend to be someone else, I want to be me! Doing anything else requires too much effort on my part, and surely God doesn't want that, right?
... I think the biggest thing that has been working on me in this area in my life is becoming a parent. I didn't become a parent because I thought, "Hey, here's an easy way to get a tax break!" Being a parent, even for these 9 months has been the single most challenging thing I have ever done. I have to shred my wants and my ego, out of love for this perfect little girl in my life. My importance pales in comparison to making sure that she has everything she needs. My identity is no longer the focus. Its hard, but totally worth it.The hard things in life aren't so hard when love is behind them.
So, why do we still struggle... how can we, to quote Ghandi again, "Be the change we wish to see in the world"?
This is a quote I have known for some time, and have always admired the eloquence of Ghandi's words. This last Sunday, this quote was included in our Men's class lesson and it struck a slightly new nerve with me... Ghandi is right.
Approximately 2.1 billion people on this planet claim Christianity... if there were even 1/4 that many people who were truly following Christ, would the world even be recognizable? Lets even cut that down to the 76% of Americans who claim Christianity, that is approximately 225,000,000 people over the age of 18. Lets say that the average income for these people is $20,000, if we gave the 10% to tithing that we are called to do, American giving alone would be in the neighborhood of $5,500,000,000,000... every year. But that is somewhat of a different topic...
Why are we so apprehensive to be Christ-like in our everyday lives? Do we believe Christ is irrelevant for our current world? Is it too hard?
Relevance- Christ's life was spent serving the poor, oppressed people around Him, aiding the sick, feeding the hungry, and showing the people He came in contact with that God loved them. How is that message not relevant to our world? Are there no more poor, hungry, and sick? Do people no longer need to know that God loves them? So, our lack of Christ-like living should not be coming from a lack of need... so, de-bunk this one
Too hard- This one would probably be where I have hidden most of the time. It is just too difficult for me to get outside of my comfort zone and treat someone with the attitude of Christ. It is too tiring to act like I care about some of the idiots in the world. I don't want to pretend to be someone else, I want to be me! Doing anything else requires too much effort on my part, and surely God doesn't want that, right?
... I think the biggest thing that has been working on me in this area in my life is becoming a parent. I didn't become a parent because I thought, "Hey, here's an easy way to get a tax break!" Being a parent, even for these 9 months has been the single most challenging thing I have ever done. I have to shred my wants and my ego, out of love for this perfect little girl in my life. My importance pales in comparison to making sure that she has everything she needs. My identity is no longer the focus. Its hard, but totally worth it.The hard things in life aren't so hard when love is behind them.
So, why do we still struggle... how can we, to quote Ghandi again, "Be the change we wish to see in the world"?
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