Stand Firm.

If you have known me for any amount of time, I think it is a well-known fact that I am a people-pleaser. I love serving my friends and loved ones and would do anything to make them happy.

Being a people-pleaser, I deliberately avoid conflict and confrontation. Because of this, in the past, I have rarely shared my faith. One of the first times I remember sharing my faith was in the 6^th grade. I guess I had decided it would be nice to give out bookmarks with bible verses on them to some classmates. Most students accepted the bookmarks, but I remember so vividly the rejection by one girl in the class. She was sitting on the floor near the door, reading her book during “free read” time. I offered her a bookmark and she shoved it back in my face saying she can’t accept it because she is an atheist. As you can imagine she was speaking quite loudly so consequently the whole class turned to look. I was mortified. (Did I mention I hate having the attention on me?) After being rejected similarly in my faith in the years following, I ultimately decided it was best to keep my opinions about God to myself… until now.

The thing I have most recently learned about being a Christ-follower is that there is nothing quiet about it. It is loud and direct. There are no conversations about Jesus without conflict or confrontation. And this is difficult, especially for me.

But here’s the reality: it has been said that Christians of my generation are weak. In the words of one of my favorite pastors, JP, “America is full of lukewarm Christianity.” What he means is that in comparison to every other generation before us, our generation conforms to society and won’t stick up for what we believe and know to be true. In this same message, JP goes on to explain that in the past, Christians always stood out; they were never the “cool kids.” But somehow in our generation of Christ-followers, there can be such a thing as a “cool Christian” and we just blend in with the crowd.

And this has been my life, to a T.

I actually remember a couple years ago my good friend telling me (while we were drunk), “I love that you are a cool Christian and will drink with us.” And I loved that. I was the “non-judgmental, I’ll drink and do drugs with you” Christian. I took pride in it. I let it define me. And even though I felt guilt waking up the next morning when I couldn’t remember half of the night, it did not have enough affect on me to change my lifestyle. At the time, my whole outlook was that I was saved so therefore I could do anything I wanted on Saturday nights, as long as I went to church on Sunday mornings. I was comfortable.

And there are so many Christians that live like this.

But in the past couple months my entire outlook has changed. When I started dedicating all my time and energy towards the Lord, my desires for drinking and gossip and other sinful natures somehow melted away. I started bringing up church and Jesus in conversations with my friends. I started writing about my faith and posting it on social media. I got a cross tattooed on my forearm, so there was truly nowhere to hide from my beliefs.

And yes, you better believe this change affected my friendships and relationships with those who knew my “past self.” I can only imagine the thoughts going through their heads as I went from partying every weekend to staying in on Friday nights to read my Bible. Suddenly, it felt as though I was perceived as that “crazy Christian” who you could no longer gossip, or curse, or talk about sex in front of (jokingly, of course…). And it was pretty rough for my I-just-want-to-be-liked-by-everyone self to accept.

But when I look to the Bible, my “issues” are so minuscule in comparison to the Apostle Paul’s. If you don’t know about Paul, in his lifetime he had been beaten, mutilated, cursed upon, and eventually killed for simply speaking the name of Jesus. In 2 Corinthians he writes:

Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.

2 Corinthians 11:24-27 (NIV)

And that’s only a short list.

I guess I am writing about this topic now because I finally feel what it’s like to stand out, be different, and be opposed for my beliefs. As much as I have hidden from this in the past, I am finally strong enough to stick up for what I believe in.

It has always been said in church that the life of a Christian isn’t supposed to be easy–and now I can see how there will be challenges if I continue to “not stay quiet.”

So as I conclude, I want challenge our generation (and myself included) to not blend in. Let’s stand up for what we know is right and true in the eyes of the Lord. Don’t be afraid to be the only person at the party sober, the judgmental eyes, the harsh criticisms…

And no matter how frightening the thought of standing out may seem, stand firm, my friends, for you have the Creator of the universe on your side.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33

–maddy.