Cliches Stand Out

So lately, I've been thinking a lot about acting thoughtfully. As in, thinking before I act or speak. If you've ever been around my family, you know that we love being funny. Love it. All the time. Everywhere. We just love it. And a lot of the time, other people do. But then, we also have those awkward moments where people take our jokes the wrong way, or we just say something at a really bad time. Like, my family has this thing when we watch American Idol that we make fun of people who are really serious about it and then we find out that it's because their dad supported their dream and he recently died of cancer. Then we end up feeling really bad, because we were just trying to be funny, you know?

One of my best friends, Bethany Alton, recently wrote a blog about quitting sarcasm because they aren't encouraging words. And it really got me thinking about how I present myself, being a Christian and representing Christ. You've heard the expression "you may be the only Bible your friends read." But do we really take that seriously? As Christians, we're constantly representing Christ. Everywhere we go, in everything we do, people are always watching us. I've heard the Christian life being described as "living in a fishbowl." And it's true! People watch us, but do we watch ourselves?

Ephesians 5:1-2a, 15, and 17 say: "Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are His dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ...So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise...Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do."

In those verses, we are clearly called to be Christlike examples. And, I'm not gonna lie, it's HARD to be Christlike when other people are being jerks. It's easy to just blend in with the rest of the world - but remember Romans 12:2? "Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is good, acceptable and perfect will of God." By living a life that is set apart, we're literally proving that there's something different about us. And when we show the world that we're different, they'll want to know why. So if you're the only Bible your friends read, be an accurate representation of Christ.

I recently started reading a book called "Damage Control: How to Stop Making Jesus Look Bad." I'll let you know how that goes.

COMING SOON: KILL THE FAT GUY.