Putting Christ Back in Christian

During the holiday season I always hear the line that we need to put Christ back into Christmas. Certainly we need to remember and acknowledge Christ during the holiday season; however, we live in a world today where the influence of the Christian label has been weakened.

Why is that?

I viewed a clip from the son of a televangelist who said bluntly, "You can't be a Democrat and be a Christian, let me tell you why..."

This is the problem today. Christians have been hijacked by politics. It has gotten quite ugly and skewed. Being a Christian has nothing to do with being a Democrat or a Republican.

Sadly, I see it now when the word "Christian" is mentioned, people roll their eyes and are immediately skeptical.

So, let's get back to the basics here. What is the definition of Christian?

A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ, believing He is the Son of God and the Messiah, centered on His life, teachings, crucifixion and resurrection, with main teachings centered on love for God and neighbor, repentance from sin and a commitment to spiritual transformation through faith in Christ.

The term "Christian" was first used in the city of Antioch in the first century around 40 A.D. as recorded in the Book of Acts (Acts 11:26) where disciples of Jesus were first called by this name by non-Jewish inhabitants to identify them as followers of Christ.

So why has Christian become a public relations problem?

The main thing Christians are doing wrong is they are trying to use Christian to create earthly kingdoms in the forms of churches and political agendas. We are still trying to legislate Christianity into our country and the world. Let me tell you that Christianity is never going to be in charge of this world until the return of Christ.  We have lost sight of the main thing by promoting our own agendas.

It is sad to see how the reputation of Christian has been tarnished.  Christianity has been weaponized for hate, division and judgment.  Unfortunately, I don't see it ever changing back.  I think we are too far gone down the road where Satan has rendered Christians powerless and makes the work of people who are true examples of Christians much more difficult.

I get it.  I grew up in the church and Christianity.  I have seen the good, bad and ugly about it, yet I still remain.  Am I perfect?  No.  Do I try to force my beliefs on others?  Never.  I never quote scriptures at people, and I refrain from judging on issues that I don't agree with.  I have had every reason to walk away.  Yes, I am a Christian because I believe in Jesus Christ.  

My Christian experience has evolved over the years of my life.  It went from a Church-centered relationship where the church told me what to do to a personal relationship with Christ.  Some of my earlier writings and posts were judgmental and extreme but now I have come to know to focus on my own relationship with God.  

We need to be more authentic and transparent to others.  We need to focus on genuine connections with others and service to people as individuals not just as potential converts.  We should emphasize on love, service and community rather than trying to appear better than others.  

When I say "I am a Christian"

I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin"

I'm whispering "I was lost - now I'm found and forgiven

When I say "I am a Christian"

I don't speak of this with pride.

I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say "I am a Christian"

I'm not trying to be strong; I am professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

Keeping the Pricklies In

Since moving to New York and making several trips into the city I am often reminding myself to keep the pricklies in.

What are the pricklies?

The pricklies are the sensitivities we have which cause us to easily be offended or irritated by the actions of others.

There are some days when it takes incredible restraint to keep them under control. I don’t like being bullied or pushed around. It is often extremely difficult to let offenses go unchecked.  I don’t want to walk around with a short fuse or an attitude that I will be easily offended. That’s not a good way to live.

In general, most people are not purposely out to hurt others. Many are just in their own world and totally oblivious to others around them. They are doing their own thing in their own way without regard to others.

If there is one trigger that will get me is when someone does something to my wife. Forget being a Christian in those moments, I will drop the gloves and go after it.

Several years ago, we were in a coffee shop, and my wife was trying to squeeze through to get to our table when a man refused to cooperate and she called him out. He stood up and touched her arm as he was confronting her about what she had said to him. I jumped between them and told him to back down. I wasn’t going to have any of it. I looked down at his hands, and they were shaking and he looked like he was getting ready to explode. I had to decide immediately whether or not to deescalate the situation. I talked him down calmly and he stormed out. We left as we were concerned for our safety and if he would return.

This incident is one I have never forgotten and constantly remind myself that I need to not be triggered by the actions of others and handle things better.

Have I don’t better since then? Better but not perfect. I still crack sometimes.

Our pricklies have to be controlled or they will ultimately get us into trouble. We can’t allow ourselves to be easily offended.

It’s hard. Christian or not, it is a challenge.

Even now there is someone who is hurting my wife with their passive aggressive social media posts and I have had enough of it so I’m doing what I can to control that trigger inside of me. My first reaction is to lash out but doing so would create a lot of collateral damage which would affect others. So, I have to talk myself down and keep my peace.  Yeah, life isn’t always easy, and our emotions can be challenging to harness sometimes.

So how can we keep the pricklies in?

First, we have to get in the mindset to look for reasons to do good to others even if it doesn't happen in return.  Getting in the right mindset is the key.

Also, we must learn from the lessons when we didn’t keep them in and how poorly you handled it.  We should mentally practice how to respond appropriately.

We can also choose to avoid the situation if possible. If it is a person, don’t engage. Block their social media posts.  Eliminate the triggers.

Make sure you eat properly.  We can be more easily triggered when we become "hangry".

When faced with a prickly situation, pause. Take a breath and pause before reacting.

Finally, try not to take it personally. Recognize others' rudeness often reflects their own issues, not yours.

Okay, now you know what happens after I have written this...I must practice what I have written and the advice I have given you (and me) to do.  I will let you know how it goes.  The main thing is to remember that we already live in an angry world and a place where people have a short fuse.  Even if we fail at it a time or two, we must be the peacekeepers.  

Eating It to Keep the Peace

Like me, I'm sure that you have known people who get away with just telling it like it is without any consequences. They have not problem speaking their minds.

I have never been that person. I am usually the one who has to eat it. The one who takes it and tries to keep the peace.

I haven’t always liked it. Why do some get to speak their minds when the same allowances are not made for me?

It is annoying when someone hurts you and you make it known and the offending party gets mad at you for being hurt.  What is that??

I am constantly reminded of the Bible verse which tells us that “if it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18)

You know, sometimes I which there were always a Bible verse for some things and this is one of them. It ain’t easy. So many times I want to hold others accountable on how they treat me.

A famous line from a movie said something about using a fork and knife while “eating it” and smile while doing it.  It may not be the easiest thing in the world to do, especially when you grew up with a low self-esteem and let people bully you but it is upon us to be the peacemakers.

As much as it hurts to do sometimes, it is better to make the effort in keeping the peace unless there is an opportunity for a reasonable confrontation.

I’m no expert. I’m still learning this one and I get classes on it often.

Most recently I was exiting the subway and a lady passing me bumped into me and I continued on. She stopped to fuss me out for not saying excuse me when SHE was the one who ran into me. I gave it back to her instead of making peace about it. So, yes, I still have repeated lessons on this one.

We live in a hair-trigger world where people are ready to be angry about something. We need to do a better job at being the peacekeepers.