“I just don’t understand it,” she said. “I see all these people getting blessed, but not me.”
I listened to the conversation around me, but I didn’t speak. Do you ever do that? Hear someone say something, have the wisdom for the answer they need but remain silent knowing they won’t receive it just then? This was my plight. It wasn’t that I was judging this lady; I just was a witness to her character.
She spoke of going to church every time the doors opened, and how she didn’t understand as she saw other people receive God’s blessing. Why not her?
I’m certainly not all-knowing like my Heavenly Father. I don’t understand why some things happen and other things do not. I can’t see from beginning to end, and I struggle through life like anyone. I don’t see the heart of man like God does. Instead, I see what human eyes see. I see the outward appearance, I see the actions and life lived. That’s what everyone else around me sees.
The woman in question had a cruel demeanor. No judgment; just stating facts. She frequently spoke down to almost everyone she encountered, stranger or not. She used a condescending tone, and many of her comments let you know she was most concerned for herself. She was rigid, set in her ways, not open to change or the opinions and feelings of others. I wondered what made her that way, and it made me sad for her. How unhappy life must be to always walk around unhappy.
I wasn’t sure why God wasn’t blessing her. I could hypothesize, but it really wasn’t my place, nor did it matter. I didn’t focus on who God was or wasn’t blessing beyond myself. But here’s what I could see. I could see what anyone around me could see. You could see a woman who was quick to talk about being a Christian and going to church but was just as quick to treat people in a hateful manner or add God’s name to angrily uttered curse words. It was wonderful to proclaim Christianity with your mouth, but if your actions didn’t convey the same, it was useless. Even more harm than good, in my opinion.
The greatest form of worship we can give is the light and love of the life we live.
God doesn’t save us because of our works. We don’t have a punch card to get into Heaven. Like, after [10] church visits in a row, admission is free. Our ability to be a “good” Christian doesn’t save us. Only faith in Jesus does that. But our actions do imply our character to everyone around us. So if all a person encounters are bitter, angry, mean-spirited Christians then they will assume that most Christians are the same.
They may say, “what’s the point of that?”
How are Christians different?