McBloggy's Blog
How dirty are your dishes?
Posted by: Katherine McDuffee
Tuesday, May 27, 2008 3:05 PM
Raised in an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist church I was told your Christianity was the first thing the world should see in you. It should be obvious that you are different. I distinctly remember the day in junior church we were told that we were all like cups. Yeah, there were some cheesy props used in that little building. The pastor went on to tell us that it is better to be a cup that is clean on the outside and dirty on the inside than the other way around. If you don't look righteous how will anyone know you are? Were they trying to teach us to be hypocrites? No, but the implication wasn't lost on a ten year-old.The intention was to show that no matter how good of a Christian/person you are people will never know it if you don't appear to be one. If you are seen at the movie theater how do people know you aren't going to see something inappropriate? If you have a tattoo or piercings it might stop people from seeing "the God in you." Unfortunately, that message didn't have the desired effect and from that moment on something changed my life forever.
As weird as it sounds that ten year-old kid took a stand. It was a quiet and private one, but it meant guarding my heart from missing out on the dirty looking cups. That message woke me up to the possibilities and I have never forgotten it. It took my life and my faith in an entirely different direction and I am so thankful.
Did I immediately understand what to do with this epiphany? No, but it got the ball rolling. What should I look for in people to emulate and admire as examples of faith and in life in general? How would I know if I was a success as a Christian and a person? What criteria makes someone an good ambassador for Christ (as we were often told to be)?
The challenge is to learn to see the difference between the appearance and the reality. How is that accomplished? It's right there in the new testament. Check out Matthew chapter twenty-two. If someone isn't managing the love God and love thy neighbor part it doesn't matter how many other commandments they have mastered. Those are the most important and the best indicators of an accurate representation of what it means to be a Christian.
Weirdly enough the lesson sort of came full circle. While I still let my actions speak louder than my wardrobe I do concede that swearing like a sailor is not a valid form of self-expression . As my Aunt Ann would say swearing is almost certainly evidence of a poor vocabulary. As a mother I better understand that people (and especially children) are watching. The trick is to remember that wardrobe choices and lifestyle differences don't have nearly the impact of a generous heart and a tolerant mind.
Do I succeed in loving my neighbor every single day? No, but I'm trying. My cup isn't spotless, but it looks pretty much the same inside and out. I'm good with that.
Comments
That is without a doubt one of the best blog entries I've read.
I've printed it out and put it on the corkboard for daily reading along with sending it to my email list.
Thanks!!
Posted by Priscilla on May 27, 2008 at 6:25 PM
When one does do a kind act for another, do they do so because it is the right thing to do or because they think God commands them to do it? If the answer is the latter then would the same act of kindness still be done if God forbid it? (Anyone ready to write "God doesn't forbid kindness," missed the point of the question.)
The majority of the people on the street are likely some form or other of christian. Many non-christians have been "assaulted" by various christian individuals or groups who condemn a person's beliefs without even knowing what those beliefs are or why that person believes them. It's rather humorous because such zealouts probably make up an insignificant percentage of the total christian population and yet it is this small minority that makes the rest of us despise Crist-based religions and the people who participate in them. It is those overzealous people out doing "God's work" and the negative experiences we have with them that us non-christians remember. I have never seen one christian stop another from harrassing someone who wants to be left alone. These same christians who remain silent are also the ones offended by complaints such as the ones from previous Decembers about Christmas displays.
I don't believe in God because the impression I always got was God put himself above his followers and he expected these followers to do the same.
I don't know all the answers. I do know
that a willingness to understand/accept and compassion will do much more for us all than instant condemnation. I also know that I will live my life doing what I think is right and helping those in need if I can. I will answer not to a god, but to the reflection in my mirror.
No regrets.
Posted by BiteyGerbil on June 3, 2008 at 3:59 PM
