Saint James Blog

One Response to “2009 February 8- Every Opportunity”

1. A. D. Blackadar // Mar 16, 2009 at 2:42 pm

   You’ve gotta BE.

   What does it say about an adult when they love watching children’s TV? My favorite show these days is “Peep and the Big Wide World.” I’ve bought DVDs of the series since it’s only shown on Friday afternoons on MPT. It is such a cute show.

   My favorite character in the show is a rather conceited and obnoxious duck named Quack. At every opportunity he is singing the praises of how wonderful it is to be a duck…bragging about the virtues of duck-ness. It’s not unusual to hear me quoting “Quack-isms” with my 4 year old. “Behold, the power of duck feet!” or “There’s nothing like a duck – you can look but you won’t have any luck…” or “I’m a duck, and ducks are best…better by far than all the rest….” (the 1.5 year old actually tries to sing that one…but I digress…) Sure, Quack’s obnoxious, but he can’t help it. It’s who he is. And he’s so entertaining when he’s being himself, even when he’s dead wrong.

   This morning I was listening to a Tony Campolo podcast where he was discussing the importance of sharing our faith, because as Christians plugged into the Savior, we can’t help but do that. It’s who we are. Many of us (myself included) are apprehensive about “witnessing” or “evangelizing” in the conventional sense. We approach the appeal for living the Christ life as an argument that needs to be persuaded….yet many of us are unsure of our own relationship with Him. And while I’m not sure if I agree with Campolo’s assertion that no one has ever been argued into the kingdom of Heaven (surely there’s a time and place for apologetics), I do agree that it is our personal experiences and lifestyle that are most persuasive to those who are looking for Jesus. They silently watch us in the midst of their journey.

   So we walk this tightrope, trying to balance our own issues of faith while living as authentically as we can. I’ll be the first to admit that I am terribly uncomfortable with Christianity being presented as an exclusive club with perks and nomenclature unique to membership. For example: Last week I prayed that God would change my heart so that He would give me the ability to love like He does. Yes, I read the verses about “abiding in Christ.” But what exactly does that mean? “Abiding in Christ,” as “spiritual” as it sounds, is one of those phrases I wish I could translate into common vernacular in order to grasp a better understanding of it. And if I, as a Christian, wish I could phrase something better to comprehend and incorporate it into my life, how much more would a non-believer wish for the same?

   As I ponder what it means to be all things to all people while belonging to Christ and being true to myself, some of my fellow brothers and sisters remind me a lot of Quack…extolling the virtues of being saved and how wonderful it is for them, lucky them, that they are Christians, that they are Methodists, that they are Americans, that they are United Methodist Christians in America, that they are fill-in-the-blank. They prattle and preen, strut and honk in rather obnoxious, duck-like fashion. Perhaps it’s not so much that I don’t want to share my faith, as it is I do not want to be prejudged by the unsaved. I’ve had them say to me, “You (meaning those like me) need to corral your ‘faithful.’ They’re out of control.” Does that make me embarrassed of the Gospel because I try my best to not act like them? And why should I care? I’d like to think I’m just embarrassed by their behavior, but is there something deeper….and more sinister….going on? Does this mean I need to question my fidelity to Jesus because I can’t see myself handing out tracts on the street to complete strangers? (I actually had someone say that to me in college.) Am I being ungrateful of the (very true) privileges of which my bold fellow Christians speak?

   I don’t mean to be judgmental of my fellow brothers and sisters in the faith. Everyone has their gifts and everyone in the Body is important. It’s my problem that I cringe whenever I witness that kind of behavior, and I totally own it. My knee-jerk reaction propells me to Luke 18:9-14 for rationalization. But I’ve always preferred to be relational….to actually get to KNOW someone, and allow them to get to know me….trusting God to open up the opportunity to share and answer questions. (Fortunately Dr. Campolo doesn’t see anything wrong with this approach, but I guess I should be more concerned if the Lord has a problem with it.)

   This “being” is exhausting. You remember that song from the 90s by Des’ree?

   You gotta be bad
   You gotta be bold
   You gotta be wiser
   You gotta be hard
   You gotta be tough
   You gotta be stronger
   You gotta be cool
   You gotta be calm
   You gotta stick together

   ….don’t you get tired just reading that?! At the end of the day, though, my hope is in realizing that in standing before the Lord of the Universe, I can just “be.” It’s not like I can hide myself from Him, or present myself as something or someone I’m not. He MADE me, for crying out loud. He knows me better than I know myself (Psalm 139). He knows that I am dust. He knows that I am discouraged and tired, yet He will not break this bruised reed. The very best thing that could happen while in this condition is for the Spirit of the living God to rest on me, that others may know HIS power (not mine).

   I need to get out of His way, and just BE.

   By the way, the last line of the chorus above is:

   All I know (all I know)
   love will save the day