Actions Speak Louder than Words
Show your faith instead of talking about it
Have you ever truly questioned what your faith looks like to the rest of the world? As Christians, we know that Jesus clearly said that faith without deeds is dead. I have been taking a hard look at what my faith looks like to others. The answer is not something I am proud of.
In my short career as a freelancer, I only feel I have been treated unfairly twice. Those are the only two times I have worked with a Christian publication and a Christian author. The pay was abysmal and the demands were high. As a Christian, this was disconcerting.
I work with non-profit organizations, so I have nothing against giving of my time. However, these were for-profit endeavors. The recent circumstances made me think, again, of Christians abusing righteousness and using it as an offensive weapon. There is also a big distinction between biblical righteousness and self-righteousness. You can read about that here:
We need to think about what our faith looks like to others. Our faith is based on the teachings of Jesus, and although Jesus spent time speaking words of life into his followers, he spent much more time showing them what faith should look like.
“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” (James 1:22)
“So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:17)
To briefly summarize my latest disappointment, I was writing for a Christian publication. I was a new freelancer, this offer included a byline, and I was willing to do it to gain a decent review. The pay was almost non-existent for a significant investment in time. The editor was good at his job and taught me much about polishing my writing. So, I wrote a couple of articles to help with my portfolio and learn under a good editor.
When the publication approached me a third time, I expressed my appreciation for the opportunity, but I could not afford the time to write for the pay. The contract was closed, and I received one of the lowest reviews I have received so far.
The publication expressed satisfaction with and published my work without issue. I assume the review was because I had politely declined to keep writing for virtually no pay. To be entirely fair, the review was not bad; it just wasn’t good.
Given the fact that they had published my first work and then asked for two more articles, and my work was delivered ahead of schedule, I can only assume it was retaliation for declining to continue to write for them.
I am not jaded. The world is full of Christians who are walking the walk. They are in shelters, volunteering in the mental health field, and on the mission field all over the world. They are giving their time faithfully to causes all over the world and going quietly about their work. They are winning people to Jesus, not with their words, but by their actions.
Are my actions bringing people to the kingdom or driving them away?
We live in a weird time when Christians are being more and more marginalized. We are being painted with broad strokes of being intolerant, judgmental, hateful, and ignorant. The only way to fight that battle is with actions and not words.
The world needs to see Christians loving those around them. We need to be showing the kind of unconditional love that Jesus did, and we need to show it to everyone. Not just those who fit some religious interpretation of worthy.
When you label yourself a Christian, that comes with a responsibility to act with forgiveness, charity, grace, and respect for others. It means dealing fairly with others. When you do not live your faith, in every word and deed, you destroy part of your testimony.
We all know about the ripples we send out. When we do a good deed, or act in love or kindness, we have no idea how far those ripples spread. Unfortunately, the same is true when we treat others unfairly or act in anger, frustration, or vengefulness. The ripples you send out by one small act of unfairness may become part of the tsunami that destroys someone’s faith or keeps someone from ever coming into the fold.
I know these things to be true, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t fall short daily. (Ask my teenage daughter how Christ-like I behaved when she dumped a load of clean clothes into the dirty clothes hamper to keep from putting them away, yesterday). We are fallen, broken sinners who will always fall short of the mark, but it isn’t an excuse to stop trying.
I recently wrote an article about legitimate questions I had for atheists and cringed at the backlash I expected. Instead, I was utterly blown away by thoughtfulness in the replies. Not one person was rude, harsh, judgmental, or ugly. It was a fantastic conversation that changed the way I view non-believers. Admittedly, it is a very small sampling, but every Christian would learn by taking the time to really listen to the non-believers around them.
We cannot show up at church on Sundays, write a tithe check, and go about our week as if Christianity is a duty we fulfill once a week. We have to own our mistakes, reign in our judgment, and strive to live a life that reflects our beliefs. Our faith is under attack as intolerant and hate-filled. The only way we can win this battle is by continuing to show the world what a life lived for Christ really looks like.
I want people to see my faith manifested in the way I live my life. I want them to see peace, kindness, and humility in me that makes them question where I have found such peace. I accept that I will fall short, but every day I want to continue the journey. The only way we will ever win people to the kingdom is by showing them love and kindness.
I ask myself every night, what did my faith look like today? Some days I am far more comfortable with the answer than others. The simple question does serve to remind me that manifested faith, hope and love are not just for the mission field, or in my church. I know that I have to remember that with the frazzled person at the drive-thru, my dry cleaner, my family and every other person I encounter. I do not want to answer for any ripples that drive people from the kingdom.
“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)
