Today, I want to talk about people and their faith. Sometimes I see Christians spending a lot of time protecting their faith, instead of letting their faith protect them. They get offended about others saying “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas,” or get mad at Halloween decorations. I am not worried about Starbucks cups or plastic skeletons because my faith protects me, not the other way around. I don’t need to guard my beliefs, I need to practice them.
God is not fragile. Humans are fragile. Focusing on what what the Bible says strengthens me, so that I may reach out to others. I can smile at someone and give them kindness instead of demanding compliance from them. This extends beyond the holidays as well. If we really believe that God created everything and provides our needs, then we don’t need to go around getting it elsewhere. We don’t need to exact revenge or demand apologies. If we believe that justice and truth comes through faith, then we can rest in that. Someone else doing something different is not an insult to me. It’s not disrespectful to express yourself differently, that’s the beauty of diversity. Look at nature, all the trees wear different leaves.
Additionally, if somebody expresses their doubts, fears, or their anger towards God, we don’t need to panic. God can handle that too. The Psalms are filled with angry rants and frustrations and complaints. No only is God not offended, he wants us to bring our troubling issues to him. The men and women in the Bible wrestled with their understanding, yet they are the very people that God used.
At the heart of it, very few people can totally believe they are wholly loved and accepted, and therefore keep trying to earn it and require others to earn it as well. So, many focus on superficial expressions of conformity rather than the celebration of freedom of being loved by God. Christianity is not about getting everyone to talk the same, dress the same or sing the same songs. The beauty of Christ is that he solved our conflict with God and thus we can have peace with our fellow man. This approach means we can enjoy the different expressions of art and culture without having it threaten our own identity or purpose.
