After I spoke at our church yesterday (I am a volunteer for Voice of the Martyrs and gave a presentation in my home church), someone approached me and said, "You are the best Christian in our church."
Immediately, danger bells went off in my mind. This is a terrible thing to say to anyone. I'm trying to keep track of all the ways in which it causes problems.
For one thing, it is not true. First off, I know the many and frequent ways in which I fail the Lord. I know the areas in which I struggle. Sometimes the struggle turns out honoring the Lord. But too often I fail him. Only God could count the number of times I have cried before him in repentance--and I think he does not keep count of those occasions. Only God could count the number of times I have asked for his help during a struggle, only to turn from that help and try to fight the battle in my own strength. Does this describe a "best" Christian? No. In addition, how can any person determine if one believer is a "better" Christian than any other? Doesn't it all depend on God's grace through faith? Yes. If that is so, then only God knows who among a given fellowship is depending on God's grace through faith and who is acting in his own human efforts.
Another danger: The person who said this is looking on exterior evidences. He does not know the hearts of the others in the fellowship. Only God knows that information and He's not telling us. But I think it may suggest that the person who said this sees himself as not measuring up in some way. In what way that may be I do not know and do not need to know. But if he is trusting God's grace through faith, then what makes him less of a Christian than I?
But perhaps the greater danger is this: It tempts me to think I have somehow "arrived"--that I am really the Christian God wants me to be. And I know that is not the case. But the temptation is a terrible thing. It raises the specter of pride. It tempts me to think I am ready to show all the others in our fellowship how to be a Christian.
Fortunately, I felt immediately on guard against such possibilities. I know I am not the best Christian in our fellowship. More accurately: I know that it is not even a question I should ask. The question should be: "Am I the best Christian I can be at this point in my pilgrimage?" Still, I think the answer is no. But God is working on me in this area. Increasingly, He helps me focus on the goal of being like Christ instead of being better than I was or better than someone else.
But at the same time, God helped me sense the spirit of the person who said this to me. He meant to convey his appreciation for my service to the Lord. So, I just smiled expressed my doubt about the accuracy of his statement and then I thanked him.
Should I have responded differently? I don't know. What do you think?
me with my beautiful, wonderful (bw)
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3 comments:
That's probably what I might have said in the same circumstance. It strikes me, however, that if you had the chance to engage this person, it may open up a world of understanding of what motivated this statement. Perhaps simply expressing some doubt and then asking what the reasons were for the statement would be enough. Then you could engage those reasons, respond to them, refute them possibly, and, potentially, help the person reach beyond the presumed external reasons.
Also, we can't immediately dismiss possibly prophetic words from unlikely sources. If you were to ask the person why they said this, you may have discovered it be an inarticulate response to a divine prompting.
I think what I'm getting at, is that, given the appropriate time to engage such statements, we should take care to do so, to respond to the person with love, discern the spirit in which the statement was given, join with that person in an understanding of the Christian life and its external manifestations.
There are many dangers that you identified with the statement, but after thinking on this, I believe there is as much to gain as to lose. Were our responses always a smile and thank you (to which by no means do I think you limit yourself), we would dangerously distance ourselves from those around us.
Prayerfully, then, and with thoughtful preparation, we must respond to each situation as best we can discern.
-Shawn
Thank you Shawn. You always have thoughtful input. As I said in a previous post, I generally think too slowly to come up with a response like what you are suggesting. But I will keep my antennae out for an opportunity to follow up with this person.
God's best to you both,
eddie
I, too, feel like I wouldn't generally be prepared to answer as I outlined. However, by thinking more fully about a different answer to this or other questions after they've come up, we are more and more prepared to deal with them when they come up again. If anything is to be gained by the mental exercise, it should be that we become ready, even eager, for questions like this. This seems especially true for those of us who feel called to a teaching ministry. How else can we engage a person except where they are at? And where else do we begin except with the questions they present us? I don't think its for no reason that we are confronted with these situations. Those with gifts are graciously given opportunity to humbly use them. So keep hope and faith alive in the love of Christ, his servants, and our fellow men.
-Shawn
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