This month Dave and I enjoyed a reunion with some of the friends we sang with back in High School. At one point, several of us believers talked about our experiences then and since. One dear lady admitted that she feels a little uneasy when some Christians tell of their dramatic conversions from drugs, alcohol, etc. She gave two reasons. One reason is that it almost seems that people are bragging about how bad they were before they found the Lord. It becomes a sort of competition in which people try to out-bad one another. Are they unconsciously trying to gain attention and recognition, or even respect? I don't know, but it's sad and inappropriate. Don't get me wrong, I believe it can bring great honor to God when we tell how bad it was and how He rescued us, but the gory details don't always need to be shared. God's glory, not our own, is the goal.
I personally was one who had some difficult experiences, and - please bear with my terminology - I guess I see it as a kind of speaking in tongues. Tongues were given at Pentecost to enable non-believers to hear the Gospel in their own languages, and thus experience God's power and grace. The Bible says that one of the reasons we go through hard things is so that we can share God's comfort with others. (2 Corinthians 1:3-11) If I'm speaking with people who have been through similar hard times, I can reveal more details in coded language and gain their trust through our shared understanding. Often it's a comfort to them just to know that someone else went through it and came out alright. More important, now that we're speaking the same special language (which others may not understand), the door may be open to spiritual issues. I seek to offer real help by pointing them to God's power and grace.
By contrast, if I speak of evil things too freely in front of those who can't understand the pain, I may cause someone to stumble. If too little is said, you risk not being able to connect with your hearer; if too much is said, you risk falling into gossip and tickling the ears. Unfortunately, in our flesh we want to hear more than is good for us (just look at the popular publications in the grocery aisle for proof). Also, we can be tempted to do bad things just by hearing about them. So, instead of focusing on our sin or others' sin, we need to bring the conversation back around to the remedy: the abundant love and mercy of God. I assume those who are truly spiritual will have less of a problem doing this; however, I still struggle with setting my mind on "that which is true, honorable, right, and pure...of good repute." (Philippians 4:8)
The main thing is that these circumstances of our lives, whether they seem good or bad, are all meant to be occasions of thankfulness and praise to God. It's all an opportunity to bring glory to God the King, who does all things well! This leads to the second reason why this lady felt uncomfortable: she doesn't have a dramatic conversion story! She was raised in a "good Christian home" where there was love, honor, and wisdom, with parents who stayed together. Her father and mother were "pillars of the church" whose devotion to Christ and to people was expressed in many good ways. They were one of the older couples whom the Lord gave Dave and I as models of successful marriages, so I can testify personally to their lives. They were the type of parents I always longed for, when I asked the Lord, "why not me?"
So is this lady jealous of me? or less spiritual? May it never be! As Pastor Dave Coffin has pointed out, God's normal pattern of things is that a child born into a Christian home gradually accepts that faith as his own. The Biblical model is that there will never be a day when the child says "I need to be converted." The child will have known God "from his earliest days." He won't remember a time when he did not believe in God! We're so used to hearing the "drugs-to-Christ" stories, that we sometimes forget the tremendous blessing of not having a dramatic story.
Now, friend, this is for you. You had the special favor of God bestowed upon you from childhood! As one of our other reunion participants told you, "you don't want to have gone through what I did!" The speaker was an alcoholic throughout Middle School and High School. A few years after High School, he turned to Christ and eventually became a dynamic Southern Baptist preacher, partly as a result of your witness! Trust us, you don't want the heartache, haunted memories, and horrible health problems that accompany some of the bad lifestyles. Whatever you do, don't long for the leeks of Egypt, for that was the food of slaves. Rejoice in the freedom and protection you enjoyed. They are precious gifts from God.
Were you too good? Sure, some people probably called you a goody-goody, but for us you were the example of a student who put God first. Your peace and joy, your intelligence and diligence in your studies, your helpfulness and kindness, your respect for authority, your modesty, your bright shining faith, showed us what we could be, what we wanted to be. Your testimony and that of your family had a profound influence on so many of us back then, and your continued faithfulness to God in later trials is a testimony still. You'll probably never know how many lives you touched by quiet obedience. You were one of the good ones! By God's grace, you enriched all the lives around you. Thanks be to God! Dear friend, you don't have a dramatic story, you have a good story. And good stories need to be told just as much as dramatic ones. God knows we need them, just as we need people like you.
"And those who are wise - the people of God - shall shine as brightly as the sun's brilliance, and those who turn many to righteousness will glitter like stars forever." - Daniel 12:3 TLB
God is good,
j
Copyright 2011 Janet A. Marney