All the stuff

Friday, March 29, 2013

I don't have the answers

You've probably been told this a million times: People should be able to tell you're a Christian by the way you act.

It sounds very true, but how does that actually play out? What does a Christian look like?

The reason I'm thinking about that is this: On Wednesday, one of my Japanese classmates asked what I was doing for easter. I said something about how my cousin and his girlfriend were coming over, so we'd probably spend time with them. I didn't mention church because I guess to me that's a given? I don't think of that as anything out of the ordinary?
Later he gave me a small (orange!!) card and said he knew I was probably busy, but would I consider coming to his church?

Now, I thought that was pretty cool awesome of him, and it made me smile, and I think I said "okay" (I hope it didn't sound like a confirming OK as it's not really feasible for me to visit anytime soon). But it made me think...
1. it is SO cool that he is willing to invite someone to church. I have never done such a thing. You go, dude.
2. it seems that my Christianity is not an obvious, blaring siren above my head. (then again, nothing about me is really a blaring siren?)

Maybe if I talked more or if people knew me better it'd come out some. But I'm so un-talkative that other people tend to lead the conversations that I do have, and usually they're not about God things? My personality is not very compatible with projecting any sort of image. I would suspect when people see me, this is what they see:
a) quiet
b) draws
c) fashion sense that teeters between amateur and terrible

None of those are particularly Christian (or non-christian!)

One thing you'll hear a lot is that you can stand out by the things you DON'T do. For example, I don't dress provocatively. I don't swear, and I don't talk trash about people and all that.
See, the thing is though, there are also non-christians who are "good people." and there are legit Christians who still struggle with those things.

So HOW ON EARTH is someone supposed to know by your actions that you're a Christian?

Well, I guess you could wear a T-shirt that says "team Jesus" or something. But to be honest I'm not into a lot of Christian T-shirts (especially the ones who try to make Christianity look like pop culture).
Do you really want Jesus to be associated with this?

There's also the question of legitimacy. I want to be a REAL fan of Jesus, not just have the t-shirt. Anyone can wear the T-shirt. (and I don't like the t-shirt)

This question really is open ended. I don't have an answer.
How does a quiet, mild mannered citizen show herself to be a Jesus follower? How does anyone?

2 comments:

  1. Oooh this is something I've been thinking about too. How does one be a Christian without being blatantly obnoxious, but still faithful and people can see that you are one? I might write a blog post that bounces off this one, if that's okay, because it's been something I've been struggling with as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, yes, go ahead! I want to hear your thoughts!!

      Delete

com·ment [kom-ent]
noun
1. a remark, observation, or criticism
4. a note in explanation, expansion, or criticism of a passage in a book, article, or the like; annotation.
5. explanatory or critical matter added to a text.
(from dictionary.com)