For the last month or so, I have been wrestling a lot with how blindingly different Christians are in society today. Pick pretty much any subject; the Christian viewpoint is now one that is not fondly looked upon by the general public.
I've been wrestling in my head with how to be a Christian, uphold Godly values and beliefs without offending everyone. I don't want to be the person that condemns people or points fingers. But, neither do I want to be the person that chooses to be ignorant and ignore what is going on in the world.
One evening at church, I was wrestling with all of this in my head. It was during worship and I could feel the presence of God. In that space, all the values and morals make sense because you are aware of the God who set those values and of His tangible love. However, as I thought about leaving that space and going back into day to day life, I just didn't know how to make it all work.
I was asking God about it all and longing for answers to calm the chaos of questions in my head. His answer was pretty simple and seemed like it didn't answer the question at all, but really it brought so much peace to my heart.
You are not supposed to be the same as everyone else. You are meant to look different.
When I heard that I saw an image in my mind's eye of Jesus just hanging out with people where they are. He looked completely different and acted completely different to them, but that didn't stop Him from just being with them in friendship and family.
Follow the Master
I realised that as Christians we are 'little Christs'. Jesus' life certainly looked very different to the people He spent time with when He was here on earth. He wasn't afraid to look different, as long as what He was doing and saying was directly from the Father. He did offend people, but everything He did was through love and from the direction and wisdom of the Holy Spirit. He also extravagantly loved the ones that the religious leaders rebuked.
After hearing that answer from God, it dawned on me that my focus shouldn't be what I look like or how people will respond to me. My focus should be, 'regardless of how different I look, or how people take it, am I displaying an honest and uncensored picture of the goodness of God?'
That's really what matters. For me to enjoy life with God and for that enjoyment to spill out of my life as a display to others. Overthinking it, creating debates and trying to make people understand my point of view isn't the way to go. Jesus showed people about God more than He told them about God. His whole life was His sermon.
It should be like that for us too.
While there are a lot of ways Christians can cause confrontation, what became so much clearer to me is the way that living a life with God creates a place of solace for others to come into and rest. We look really different, yes, but sometimes that difference becomes a place in which people seek refuge.
Honour: the markings of love
In my Christian circle of friends and family, honour is non-negotiable. We have experienced encouragement from God, so we encourage one another also. We have experienced generous provision from God, so we are generous with one another also. Whether that be in someone paying for someone else's meal or coffee or making sure they have a ride home – it all displays the kindness of God.
We are in the family of God and we treat each other like family. Sometimes it's messy, but it's all worth it. That sort of honour and family value goes beyond blood, it stretches to every person with whom we build relationship or friendship – whether they know God or not.
That sort of love doesn't come from ourselves alone. It comes from God. It looks so different to the fragile love of the world because it is anchored in the eternal. It's in these things that I remember it is a privilege to be a Christian. We have the gift of being able to love without running ourselves dry. We can learn from the Holy Spirit how to love, encourage and give ourselves fully to His purposes.
That will look really different to the world, but it's what the world needs.
Caitlyn Furler is a lover of writing, music and people. She is a recent graduate of high school in Australia and works full time as an assistant in a law firm. She is a worship leader in her church and is enjoying the possibilities and mystery of not knowing what she wants to do 'when she grows up'.
Caitlyn Furler's previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/caitlyn-furler.html