What's the Difference?

I was thinking the other day about the walk of Christians and the walk of non-Christians and that intersection point. There is a tension that has been present for probably as long as Christians have been around on how to live in the world in light of the gospel. Then I started thinking of what I have seen in our culture and society and how Christians walk compared to non-Christians.

Every Christian would not disagree that our lives are meant to be a witness to those that we come in contact with. The easy part is establishing this, the hard part has always been how and in what way do we do this? I think that for every person you talk to you will probably get a little bit different of a variation on how Christians are supposed to witness to those around them. I do not have the answer for this question, just to burst that bubble and so you don't get to the end of reading this and wonder where in the world the parting of the clouds and great epiphany went. However I do want to pose a question that should maybe get us all thinking about how we are living. I think that for the most part we (Christians) have enveloped ourself in our culture so much that nobody really can tell the difference. We watch the same t.v. shows, we listen to some of the same music, we possibly (depending on your convictions) drink the same drinks, and for the most part we actually have the same attitudes as the people around us. whether that is an attitude of consumerism, or an attitude of laziness, or an attitude of alcoholism, there is not much that separates us from them (and I shudder to use the old 'us'' and 'them' terminology but it just is the easiest to use).

So then, the question I want to pose is what makes your life different enough that people actually can look at you and notice that you live a life different than others? Now it's easy to say "well I believe different things" or "I have more love, or more joy than others", but the reality is, if no one is noticing (and granted you might not hear about if people are noticing) then perhaps possibly you are doing something wrong, or not allowing Christ to do his part in your life. It's nothing concrete and I am not thinking about anything in particular but it is fairly clear in the Bible that Christians are supposed to be a witness that people notice. It is not a matter of words and I think this is where the famous saying by St. Francis rings the most true "share the gospel, use words if necessary" (paraphrase). This quote has actually always rubbed me the wrong way to be honest, I always thought it was ridiculous, the gospel could not be told simply through actions, but the heart I think of the quote is that our actions should be enough that people notice a different, can I use "counter-cultural" aspect. What in your life is counter-cultural? Church does not count, I asked what in your life, not what day in your week that non-Christians aren't a part of, is counter-cultural, but what could others point to in your life and either not understand, or point to your Christianity.

Again, this is not to point fingers at others, saying I don't recognize your faith, or you are doing something wrong. It is merely an honest question that I think we Christians could benefit from, a little more, if we were willing to re-evaluate ourselves every once in a while.