A Casual Christian...or How to Never Know Jesus(even though you think you do)

Day 3 reading assignment:
Gen 5:1-7:24
Matt 3:7-4:11
Psalm 3:1-8
Proverbs 1:10-19

I wish I had a dollar for everytime I have been ranting like a mad woman at my family, only to stop long enough to answer the phone with a warm and cheery "Hello!" I continue, engaged in the conversation all nicey nice, hang-up and pick up ranting where I left off.  What a phoney!

In Matthew 3:8 John the baptist called people to more than words or rituals.  He told them to change their behavior.  The application on this verse explained that God looks beyond our words and religious activities to see if our conduct (especially when we think no one is looking) backs up what we say.

Imagine sitting in the back of the room at your own funeral listening to what people are saying about you.  What would they say? "Oh my how did Cindy stay so thin?" Yeah not likely.  How about "I never knew Cindy was a christian did you?"  I didn't have to be at my funeral to hear this.  About 9 years ago our second daughter was about to marry the love of her life who was a youth pastor at a local church.  We were very involved in the activities of the county fair in those days and there was much talk among our circle of friends about the impending nuptials.  A dear friend was relaying a conversation to me that she recently had with a mutual friend of ours. I can't say where that conversation was going because at her opening line I went numb and stopped listening.  "So Lindsay's going to be a preachers wife...can you imagine Cindy a born again christian?!"
When I heard this I felt physically sick.  I was immediately aware of God's disappointment in me.  What had I done, how had I behaved that made this friend assume I was the furthest thing from a christian?

My parents were members of the Lutheran church.  Every Sunday my mother would scrub us up and march her 6 children into church delighting in the attention we would bring her.  She would proceed to sing the loudest because she was also very proud of her voice.  At the age of 12 I went through the memorization process of being confirmed in the church and to this day I have no idea what that was about. For awhile I believed we went to church for the spectacle we created.  I understand now that I have no right to these judgements.  My point is that from noon on Sunday until the next Sunday morning, there was no evidence of Christ in any of our lives with the exception of the memorized prayer of thanks at dinner time and at bedtime when my mother would shout from somewhere else in the house, " Say your prayers!"

By the time I was 15  I was dating a boy who claimed he was agnostic.  I had little idea of what this meant (The belief that any existence of God is unknown and probably unknowable) but I was pretty sure it was my ticket to sleeping in on Sunday mornings.  The announcement of my new spiritual philosophy was not well received and I was forced to endure the painful hour on Sunday mornings anyway.  My relationship with the agnostic ended eventually and in the spring of my senior year at the age of 17,  I discovered I was pregnant.  On the date of what would be my senior prom, I married my first husband. Now that's another story for another day anyhoo........After the birth of my son, with the encouragement of a neighbor I began my real search for God.  When my friend made the 'imagine Cindy a chrisian' comment, I had been a christian for 27 years.  Evidently a casual christian at best.  It could have been many things that spurred that comment.  I could laugh with the best of them at a dirty joke, I was a consistent contributor to the gossip mill and certainly took the Lord's name in vain on a regular basis.  I only spoke of my spiritual beliefs in the safe surrounding of other christians.  I changed behaviors to match my environment like a chamelion changes colors. It makes people uncomfortable when you get all lofty and righteous on them.  But #1 on the list of my failures was that I had not been consistent in raising my kids in church, teaching them, by EXAMPLE about faith and reliance on God.
I had never developed a personal relationship with Him which had robbed me of his voice.  I thought it was enough just to believe-and, in theory it is-but I believed with my head.  I never invested my heart.  According to the bible, faith must be more than belief in certain facts.  It must result in actions or it will die away.

Where then does a person learn about faith?  The best answer is; at home.  We all have a front row ticket to the best (or worse) reality show right in our own homes.  It's real and it's raw.  Despite the hypocrisy I saw in the faithlessness of my mother, at least I got a glimpse of God.  My mother's actions at the very least, planted a necessary seed that caused me to seek Him later in my life.  I used to have strong criticisms for much of what my mother did or didn't do.  My reality is that I'm ashamed to admit that I was simply too lazy to get my own children to church, for any reason, selfish or otherwise, with any kind of consistency.

Faith is a rich heritage we can pass down to our children, even if we do it badly.  Borrowing from The Practical Life of Faith: "Whatever else may be said about home, it is the bottom line of life.  It is at home, among family that we come to terms with circumstances.  It is here life makes up its mind.  It's a place where milk is spilled, where toes are stubbed and where people see you in your underwear.  It's real life where real people rub up against real challenges.  How we meet those challenges determines whether the faith of the family flourishes or flounders.  Faith is meant to be an everyday companion, not a weekend guest.  If someone were to peek through the keyhole of your front door what would they see?  For faith to be served up family style nourishing generations to come, 2 things have to happen.  We have to think of our homes as training bases, not holding pens.  The home should be a launching pad for sending children into the world, not a storage facility for isolating them from it. Second we must develop in our homes a contagious confidence in God."  Where was this information when my kids were little?  Luckily it's never too late when it comes to our spirituality.  Being the matriarch of a family is an enormous responsibility.  So,  do as I say not as I did.  NEVER take it casually....I'm the mommy thats why.



       "Preach the gospel at all times, if necessary use words."
                                                                       St.Francis of Assisi