By now, I am wholly accustomed to the stereotype given Christians by many on university campuses and others in our culture. “Homophobes,” “intolerant,” “bigots,” “science-deniers,” “crazies,” “haters.” So, I haven’t been surprised in the least by the recent uproar in Indiana over its Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The Church has always been a target, as has been her Head, by those whose minds and hearts are focused on things of the flesh rather than the Spirit. But I acknowledge that it is getting more and more difficult to break through the stereotypes.
On campus, students and faculty are wary of us. They assume the worst and give us little opportunity to engage them on a personal level. They stay away from our meetings and our church services. They think they know what we’re about and they want nothing to do with us.
I find this to be very sad because, as I see so many trying to find their happiness and meaning in this world, I know they will not find it just as I did not find it. It cannot be found in alcohol or drugs, in “alternative” lifestyles, in material things or worldly success. But they don’t know that because they have not seen the Light nor do they know He even exists.
C.S. Lewis once wrote that, before his conversion, he was like a man in a dark cave where one shaft of light appeared. He didn’t know its source, but it gave him the knowledge there was something that existed outside his dark world. It was that seed of knowledge that grew into faith which led to a transformation of his life.
When Paul writes about planting and watering seeds, he is referring to bringing those shafts of light into the dark dwellings where people live. Until they know of something beyond what they have experienced, they will have no reason to believe or pursue anything else. So, in the midst of the stereotypes that block the Light and keep people living in darkness, we are to be the bearers of the Light.
And this is not done through political activity or legislation, but by simply allowing the fruit of the Spirit to grow in our lives and impact those around us. Being kind to those who expect harshness. Being faithful and good to those who haven’t been able to trust anyone in their lives. Being loving and patient with those whose hearts have been hardened by years of abuse and/or disappointment. In other words, being like Jesus.
And with each of these acts, we are planting a seed or watering one that was planted by someone else. Like a shaft of light in a dark cave, we are demonstrating there is something more to life that what people know or think. And once they see it, their world begins to open up to a whole other existence and the opportunity to embrace the Light as their own.
Today, realize you have the opportunity to be used by God to bring His light into the darkness of people’s lives, to help them see there is a life beyond what they know or have experienced. For a seed planted or watered today can lead to a wonderful harvest sometime in the future!
© Jim Musser 2015
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