Photo courtesy of dieselbug2007 on Flickr
I’ve always tried to be transparent and honest in my blog posts. This blog is simply an extension of my real life. I don’t always get it right, but none of us ever do. My life if not perfect, *I* am not perfect. I’ve never claimed to be perfect and I always try to admit when I’ve made mistakes. I’m not afraid to be imperfect, because I know that the Lord isn’t finished working on me yet…I’m human.
I know what I believe and who I am. I believe that as Christians, we have to respect those who believe differently than we do. We provide a MUCH better Christian witness when we just LIVE our lives as Christ wants us to, rather than trying to shove our beliefs down people’s throats. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t stand up for our beliefs or share our beliefs, but you can do that in a loving and kind manner. That’s what I think Christ wants for us to do. For example, there is a person I know who is gay. While I do believe that homosexuality is a sin and I have even told them in a loving way what I believe, that doesn’t mean that I can’t love and care for them. We are to hate the sin, yet love the sinner. This person knows that I don’t agree with their lifestyle, but they certainly know that I love and pray for them and they often come to me for my opinion and advise. If a person rejects the truth of Christ’s teachings, all I can do is to continue to live my life as the best Christian witness I can and continue to pray for them. I’m in no way saying that we should try to be people pleasers…we should always be GOD pleasers first. But you attract more bees with honey than with vinegar. If you make yourself a very vocal, opinionated person (your way of the highway), you are going to scare away those who really need the truth.
Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. — I Peter 3:1-2
While this verse specifically speaks of a wife winning her husband to Christ by her conduct, I don’t see why this does not also apply to those around us. I know of several people who were led to Christ simply because of the behavior of those around them. They saw something “different” in a Christian friend or relative and were drawn to that difference. They asked questions and the Christian gave them things to think about. That doesn’t mean that the Truth did not offend them…the Truth is meant to offend the sinner. But there’s a difference between offending with love and offending with anger and hate.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” –Matthew 5:43-45a
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” –Matthew 22:37-40
Christ calls us to love our neighbors AND our enemies. This doesn’t mean that we should accept sin as okay. This does not excuse sin in anyway. BUT we are to love those around us and we should speak to them and treat them with love. We are to accept them as human beings and treat them with love, but that doesn’t mean that we have to accept their sins. I do believe that we aren’t to club them over the head with our Christianity/beliefs either. I grew up with the standard of “Nice Matters”. There’s a nice way and a not-so-nice way of handling things. I really think that Christ wants us to handle these situations in a loving and prayerful way…not an “I’m right, you’re wrong” sort of way.
Essential Traditions/Real Food Real Frugal 