Lending An Ear...

OK, so Spring Break is over. I'm recovering from sun-burns, peeling skin, too much sleep (usually an oxymoron in my life), and the loss of any hopes of saving money this year. Now I've got time to think about the trip, what it really meant, the failures and successes, and how it changed me, if at all.

I'm not sure what it means to represent Christ in all I do. I know, I'm a bad Christian, this should be the no-brainer lifestyle, right? Well, bear with me. Here at IWU, it's very easy to wear the t-shirts, talk the talk, pray the prayers aloud, and worship freely. And these are great. But take one step off of this campus and that changes. Take Spring Break. Am I the only one that refrained from publicly holding hands in a circle and praying aloud amidst drunken parties on the beach? Probably not. Am I the only one that didn't take my Bible everywhere I went, or wearing the apparel of One Truth or any other popular Christian clothing? Probably not. In fact, I really didn't talk about God all that much this last week. Not that I was afraid to, but it's a litle difficult to bring up salvation when most of the people I was talking to were too drunk to look at me straight. So, in a situation such as that, how do I represent Christ?

I think it's important to draw a distinction here. Representing Christ, to me, is not about what you wear, the things you say, or the Bible you carry around. It's who you are. While nothing on my outward appearance showed Christ in big bold letters, I was able to listen to a lot of people. I know, I know, that sounds like a cop-out, but I don't think it is. I rarely had the chance to preach, but I did have many chances to meet people, and really listen to them. It's amazing what a couple beers will do with someone bearing their struggles, pains, and failures to a complete stranger. But I think that I was given an opportunity to just be there for them, not to give advice, not to speak some unknown truth, but to be an emotional punching-bag, in a sense. Seriously, one cried, one guy shook me in anger, and none of it had to do with me, but with what was bottled up in their lives.

Call me crazy, but I think we Christians talk too much. We try to convince too much. We try too much. It seems to me that in Christ's ministry, He met the people's physical and emotional needs first, then He led them to spiritual fulfillment. We live around people that need a lot. Be it money, clothing, or just encouragement and love. We live around needy people. But we seem to ignore that, and treat people as jobs. Get them saved, get em in a church, move on. Is this what Christ called us to? God, I hope not. Maybe we're just called to listen, to love, and to shut the hell up sometimes. I use harsh language here, but it's how i feel. At IWU, preachers are taught a strategy that is called "Sell when the congregation is buying", meaning "know when to shut up". We constantly try to tell, and give evidence, and convince. Do we ever listen? Do we ever really try to understand where the people we meet are coming from?

I'm tired of talking. I want to listen. I want to know the hurts of people before I can try to heal them. Maybe i'm young, dumb, and too stubborn to see that this is foolish. Then again, maybe I'm growing up finally. I don't know. What do you think?