Once you tell people that you are a ‘practicing’ Christian, your life turns into a fish bowl. Every one expects you to behave like Mother Theresa, and to be honest most times it feels like they are all out to jump on to your every shortcoming with comments like “And you call yourself a Christian” “That wasn’t very Christian of you, was it?” You've got the fundamentalists who just give Christianity a bad name, with their lack of love - I am thinking here of Westboro Baptist Church that picketed the funeral of a gay marine with anti-gay slogans in 2007. Like the family members didn't have enough grief to deal with!!
The guy, who tiled my bathroom floor a couple of years ago, is a Christian who showed very little integrity. He probably had 2 jobs going at the same time and was not honest about it…. And he did a shoddy job. When I pointed out some of the areas that needed re-doing, he said I was nit picking!!! For 500 pounds I will nit pick thank you very much!!! I was so upset to the point of incoherence that my flat mate who is used to dealing with difficult people stepped in to help. And then to cap it off, after ALL THAT, he attempted to evangelise to her. So embarrassing!
Yes I know I should take out the plank from my eye before I point out the splinter in my brother’s eye! I certainly can point to very un-Christian behaviour in my life - a lack of integrity at work, lying, gossiping, lack of chastity… the list is endless. And that’s just the outward behaviour… You wouldn’t want to know what goes on inside!
Sometimes it feels like the people in my world who are not Christians, are better Christians than I am.
Last weekend, as I was walking with a non Christian friend in West End, I ignored a woman who was begging on the side of the street. My companion stopped and fished for his last change (I know this because he literally emptied his wallet and pockets). A few seconds afterwards, he pointed out someone else who needed help. Embarrassed about my in-action with the ‘beggar’, I agreed to help. This woman was crying and engaged in the futile exercise of hailing a cab in a very busy section of Soho. They were all full. We tried our best to hail a cab for her and when that failed suggested that she moved further down where she was likely to catch one that was free. I even called 118 118 to see if there were any local cab firms about. Suddenly she started shouting at us like as if it was our fault she was not catching a cab. My friend looked at me imploringly
“ Kim, you’d better take over here cos I am at my wit’s end here” I tried to calm her down, make her see reason, but it just wasn’t working – she was distressed. Eventually she ignored our advice and went charging up the street, leaving us behind – so a failed attempt to help. Oh well!
But you know, I was really challenged by his compassion and willingness to get involved. Last month he organised an event and raised over 1000 pounds for Stop the Traffik- a global movement working to combat people trafficking.
I’ve become so blind to the needs around me, so caught up in a hedonistic, self-absorbed lifestyle. I am ok for displaying Christian qualities in church-organised events. Or helping out in the Crisis Homeless shelters at Christmas –and ignoring the homeless for the rest of the year. Maybe this is a wake up call for me to get off my arse and get involved. Being of an obsessive nature, there’s always the danger of getting over-involved to the point of ineffectiveness – it’s happened before. But maybe this time I will learn to establish some boundaries. I’ll start small… and aim to help one person a week? Is that too ambitious?
And perhaps I should keep surrounding myself with friends who display Christ's character, piggy back on to their efforts and learn from them.
