I am any number of things. But who am I at my core?
I am a member of a family. I have parents, whom I love and they love me, one sister, two step-brothers, two brothers-in-law, two hilarious and rowdy nephews, and a beautiful wife. I have more extended family, and more in-laws, all of which I enjoy being around, even if I escape at times to go climbing.
My parents got divorced when I was ten, which was incredibly difficult and not something about our past that I particularly enjoy. Good, even great, things have come from it, but not without heartache and pain.
There is much about my family that, had I been the one in charge, I would have tried to do differently. But I wasn't, and so I can't change what happened. Often times in my family we still apologize to one another for hurtful things we did, though it may not be totally necessary now since we've apologized for those things already, but we still sometimes feel bad about our immature actions. I’ve apologized for my share, and I know there will be more to come.
But for all of that, my last name is still Sickler. And there is no way I'd change that. I wouldn't call myself by something else just because I don't want to be associated with the negative things that have gone on in my family or the people in it, though I may have totally disagreed with some of them. They are part of my past, a past that has shaped and formed who I am and what I'll become. And it's a past that, though at times I'm not proud of it, I will declare as my own. I refuse to run from it.
There is something else that I am, something that has shaped who I am and what I'll become. It's a past that's similar to my own family's, riddled with hurts and sorrows, often inflicted by it’s own members.
Recently, I've noticed a growing trend, and I'd like to draw attention to it, just so we can think about what it might mean or what it might say of who we are now. Many of the Gen X people and younger having started referring to themselves as "Jesus followers", "Christ followers", "followers of Christ", "disciples of Jesus", etc. I understand, at least I think, the reason for doing so, and it appears to come from one or two reasons. One possible answer is that people are trying to escape the "religion" associated with the history and background of Christianity, all the rituals and traditions that seem outdated. Some of those "rituals and traditions" are valuable, some are not. And I'm always a proponent of examining why we conduct ourselves in any given manner in light of what Scripture and the body of believers, the community, have to say. We should always be evaluating why we do things, and is that the best way.
The other reason, as I see it, is that young people want to throw off the stigma and baggage associated with the word "Christian." Again, I think I understand why people would want to do this, namely because the history of Christianity isn’t the most spotless record. I myself would also like to adhere to the most "pure" form of faith in and following Christ I can, Christianity, if you'd like, and to not be stereotyped as someone who necessarily agrees with all the decisions and actions in our particular past.
I don't agree with all of my personal family's decisions and actions, but they happened, and that's part of my personal past, my heritage.
And so is the past of Christianity, of those who "follow Jesus". It's our heritage and it's riddled with heartache and pain, often inflicted by its own members. But it's a history from which I will not run, a rich history. I'll embrace it as my past, apologize when necessary, and do my best to be a positive influence on those who aren't "Christians". I won't try to change my past, rename my past because I don’t want to be stereotyped, or even try to rename who I am in light of that past. It's our past, who we are, and it can shape who we become. The question is whether or not we'll make the same mistakes as others in our past. We'll make some, to be sure, and we’ll have to apologize for those, because we are humans, separated from God by sin, reconciled back to God by Jesus, out of love trying to live the way God intended us to live.
Though our Christian past is at times is a rough past, it's a rich past, one that has shaped and formed me, just as my personal family's has. Let's embrace where we come from and learn from previous mistakes, not just throw them, the mistakes and our ancestors, off and disassociate with them.
There are, of course, exceptions. Some people need to not use the term "Christian" because it could hinder the Gospel’s advancing. But generally speaking, here in America that isn't a problem. I've found that calling myself a Christian gives me more of an opportunity to discuss why I believe what I do, and it also gives me an opportunity to explain where I think problems have arisen in the past, and to apologize for some of my own actions and those of others who have hurt people. Sometimes there is a stereotype placed upon me, but it’s really not that big of a deal. Hopefully, I’ve broken that stereotype by the time the conversation is over and we part ways.
Everyone has labels. Let's redeem ours, not just get rid of it.
Who am I?
I am a Christian.
Recent Comments