I would have loved to complete the statement by the single word "duck" but that would make this blog really short. So, in light of our need for stimulation let me try and put this into a Christian context. No Aflack jokes here. Don't get me wrong, I like ducks. They don't taste like chicken but they are good! There are many different kinds of ducks in our world. Some are tiny and others are huge. Some are colorful and others are not. Some make great pets while others wouldn't stay unless you cut off their wing feathers. There are some resilient elements of being a duck. For instance, the colorful ducks are male. This is NOT an ego thing. Their colorful appearance is to distract predators from the mother and babies. That's true with a lot of bird species. Ducks don't sink. If you are a hunter that, again, is a good thing. Their kids don't need to learn anything to keep from drowning! They make flying look effortless. Needless to say, I wouldn't make a very good duck. I'm not a particularly colorful individual. Nor am I wanting to be. I have adversaries but they pretty much let me know when they are close. I dive into the water and I sink. Yes, I can swim but can only save myself. The list could go on but you get the idea. I don't even know what kind of duck I'd most resemble! Maybe Daffy Duck!
In politics it's common knowledge that our politicians are predominantly lawyers and liars. So, when we see a politicians lips moving we can feel fairly certain that they are lying or at least bending the truth. They usher in their "supremeness" with great pomp and leave us to believe they crawled out from under a rock rather than having been birth by loving and caring parents. We can take this analogy to it's end and replace "lawyer" or "politician" with therapist, doctor, taxi driver, farmer, and so on. Each may have their own particular description but would nevertheless be different than expected. In fact, we have become so accustomed to being outside the definition that we now live in a new norm. One only needs to look at the paper, listen to the news, or talk with a co-worker or neighbor to know that what I've written is true.
So, how about the Christian. Bet you hoped I had forgotten the initial focus of today's blog! We hear a lot of banter from believers and non-believers alike who set different standards for who or what a Christian is. The opposite ends of the spectrum seek to explain how we excuse ourselves from responsibility of being a Christian. There may be a "born again" element to your story as there is to mine. Yet, we don't live like Christians. So, we take the human example and adjust our thinking and others thinking bringing us to a new definition of a Christian. Basically, we find excuses that make our sin okay. Ouch! That certainly has applied to me in more than one area of my life. I've not only believed the lie but have also taught it to others. You have too if you are a Christian caught up in the world. It's difficult to be a Christian. Being a Christian as Christ outlined requires us to be at odds with most of he world around us. Most people don't like to be at odds with their family, social and work world. It's too uncomfortable and may offend someone. I should hope so. People need to be rocked out of themselves and into who they are in Christ.
Will you?
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