Do you ever find yourself apologizing for your faith? Like you are sorry that your lifestyle offends? I think some of my most frustrating moments have been times when I am with other people of my faith and still feel like I have to apologize if my lifestyle makes them uncomfortable. Why is that? Why do we feel that way?
It's one thing to be around unbelievers and feel uncomfortable, it's another to feel like you can't be your best Christ self in a space where others say they believe in Christ as well. In both cases it's certainly absurd to feel as though you have to dim your light to make others uncomfortable. Even non-believers understand the freedom of being who you are wholly and unapologetically. Why do we in the faith feel timid to live in our truth?
Galatians 1:10 says, "For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet sought to please men, I should not be the servant of Christ." Part of the reason we feel we have to apologize for how we choose to live our lives is because we know that we are living our life in a way that goes against the grain. We don't do what everyone else does and that makes us look strange. When we know we look strange we feel like we need to explain why we look strange. When we know that we look strange we feel embarrassed. But we must remember who we are trying to impress.
We are trying to impress God. We want God to think well of us, if we are living to make God proud, the opinion of our peers holds less weight. Let's take a moment to reflect on the characteristics God expects of us. In Galatians 5:22 we will find the fruits of the spirit:
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."
We are to be demonstrating these characteristics in our lives as representatives of Christ. If behaving in a way that is loving, that promotes joy, that promotes peace, that exudes patience in times of trouble, that is gentle, that is good, that is full of faith, that is meek, and that exudes self- control makes you feel like you have to apologize around your friends, you need new friends.
Also, God knows that the way you live your life for Him isn't going to make sense to people. 1 Corinthians 1:21 says, "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."
Choose to persuade God today. Live your life so that God is pleased, He promises to take care of you when you do.
What's one thing that you are going to do today to please God? Comment below!
