“I never thought you were a Christian.”
Ugh….
I still can’t get those words out of my mind. They were spoken to me I believe my junior year in college at the University of Illinois.
They were spoken by a woman who was over at my apartment. My roommates and I had some people over. I don’t remember the details (probably because we were drinking), but those words stuck!
“I would have never thought you were a Christian.”
It was like a dagger in my chest! Why would she say something like that?
Somehow we must have gotten on a discussion about God, Jesus, or the Bible. I had no problem talking about God or the Bible. My problem was that my actions were not lining up with my beliefs! I know exactly why she said that! Duh!
Words are not enough. Jesus said, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord,Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”
My actions were not lining up with my words. What’s interesting is that even a person who didn’t claim to follow Jesus recognized that something was off. And yet I was supposed to be walking with Jesus and I was blind. Yeah, I know doesn’t make any sense right?
While those words hurt, I didn’t change my actions for a while. I still went out to the bars (see picture above) with everyone else, and did what everyone else was doing. I went to worship services on Sundays, but my heart wasn’t there! It’s hard to worship with a hangover. It’s hard to worship with all that guilt with what you did Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
“I would have never thought you were a Christian.”
People should be able to see a difference in Christians, Matthew 5:16.
I’m thankful for forgiveness from my Heavenly Father. I don’t know who said that. I don’t know if she is now a Christian. I don’t know if I was the person that could have had influence on her to follow Jesus!
Ugh…missed opportunity!
As Christians let’s strive to live in such a way where people will say, “I knew you were a Christian, there’s something different about you.”
Let’s live in such a way that God will be pleased with us!
Yeah, I’m talking to you and MYSELF!!!