Stand Out; Step Up

I am a very cost conscious person (read cheap). I don’t believe in paying more for something than is necessary. I also tend to misplace things a lot. Either I am scatter-brained, or I live in mischievous houses that hide my things when I am not looking. One time I was slated to go somewhere and the state of my toenails was embarrassing to say the least. The nails were long and the old nail polish on them was chipped and patchy. I looked everywhere for my nail cutter and polish remover – but surprise surprise, the house had hidden them! Being a bargain hunter, I went straight to the Dollar Store where I purchased both items for the low low price of $2. I silently laughed at those who would have paid more than $10 in other stores for the same. When I got home I sat down to begin my self-administered pedicure. I first tried to remove the nail polish – but joke on me! The polish remover did not work! I then tried to clip my one thick toenail and you guessed it. That didn’t work either! Gasp! Who knew that dirt cheap products don’t work?! I had to toss them out, drive back out to another store and be like one of those people I mocked that paid real money for real products.

Apparently I didn’t learn my lesson though. I was once at the dollar store when I decided to pick up a toilet plunger for $1. It was real pretty too – pink with white flowers. It went unused for a long time…until one fateful morning (covers face in shame). I knew I was in trouble when after pushing down on the plunger once, it stayed in that position and didn’t pop back up! I suppose it was made from some unmalleable plastic as opposed to rubber. I had to run off to work before I could “fix things”. So needless to say, my husband woke up to “Danger! Do not enter!” signs posted on the door of the bathroom. I should’ve known! A plunger that pretty was probably meant to be used as a decorative wall ornament!

On my way to work that morning I thought about the absurdity of it all. Per the labels, the products were manufactured in China. I thought about how in China, millions of men and women wake up at the crack of dawn, shower, take breakfast, kiss their loved ones goodbye and fight traffic on their way to work. Once there, they put in 8 hours (give or take) manufacturing, assembling, and packaging goods – which are then loaded onto trucks, then planes, they clear customs, and are delivered to stores worldwide where workers unpack and display them for you and I to buy. All this effort, resources, and international coordination over stuff that doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to?? What’s the point? Why not charge a couple extra cents or dollars but have a nail clipper that can actually cut nails; a polish remover that can actually remove polish; and a toilet plunger that doesn’t put a strain on marriages??

But while I was there feeling all judgmental, another more sobering thought came to mind. I call myself a follower of Jesus Christ. If I had a label, it would read “Blood-Bought Christian”. But how many times has God sent me in to a situation to be His ambassador but I have behaved in a very useless manner? I may have looked the part – and that is why He sent me there – but did I act the part?

You see, when God opens doors for us, it’s not only because we are cute. God’s agenda for us as Christians is very clear: To make disciples who in turn will make other disciples. When He places us in jobs, in schools, on streets, in grocery stores, in buses, trains… anywhere really, His intention is that we would be salt and light in our little slice of the world. But when we walk into a room, do we bring light into it, or do we darken it even more? Someone once said that as Christians, our lives are the only Bible that an unbeliever will ever read. Scary, huh? What ‘gospel’ are our lives ‘preaching’ to the unbelievers around us? Is it one that draws people to Christ? Or one that makes them swear that they want nothing to do with God if this is how His followers behave? When others are busy gossiping, are we right there alongside them, or do we set ourselves apart? When in a crisis situation, are we the voice of peace, calm and hope, or are we running around scared and hopeless as though our Almighty Father is not seated on the throne? Simply put, would an observer see a tangible difference between you and an unbeliever?

I wish I could say that I have been a useful ambassador for Christ everywhere and at all times; but sadly, there are times I have brought dishonor to His name by the way I acted. I have compromised and I have blended in as opposed to standing out for the sake of the gospel. But God is patient and He is a giver of umpteen chances. It’s never too late to start living out the purposes for which God made you and saved you. You see, unlike the cheap useless dollar store items I purchased, what we have inside of us as Christians is not counterfeit – Jesus paid the highest price for our redemption. We carry within us the very Spirit of the Living and Most High God. We are therefore more than well equipped to carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20). We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

When we are ineffective Christians, it’s not just a mere inconvenience as a botched pedicure or a malfunctioning plunger; no, the consequences are much more dire – it’s a matter of eternal life and eternal death for those God places along our life’s path. So let us pray and ask God for His help to truly be salt and light wherever He places us. Let us pray for boldness, courage and opportunities to bear witness of His love to everyone we encounter. And let us strive, with the Holy Spirit’s help, to live lives that are worthy of the high calling that has been placed within us; to live lives that reflect Jesus’ glory.

If you are a non-believer that has been offended and turned off from God because of how you saw Christians behaving, please do not let the mistakes of a few keep you from an eternity with Christ. Christians are imperfect and they will fail, multiple times. But the God who loves you and desires to be in relationship with you is perfect and infallible; and He will never fail nor leave you. Do not empower mere humans to keep you from Christ. Visit the prayer and resource page for more info.

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