Are you fiercely independent? Are you strong and strong-willed? Do you insist on doing your own thing—on being “true to yourself” no matter what? There may be a place for such traits, particularly among those who have suffered bullying, abuse, and shame. When others have destroyed your dignity and self-worth, you may find your self-esteem rehabilitated by a dogged commitment to always doing what you want. During the years you spend overcoming the trauma of living like another person’s slave, perhaps it is natural for the pendulum to swing the other direction and you spend time serving only yourself. I am not a therapist but a pragmatist; I believe you should do what you must to find healing.
But eventually we must recognize that insisting on your own way is the reaction of a child, not an adult.
A growing believer in Christ, one who has been born again into a new life, is a person strong enough–through the power of Christ in you–to forgive, love, and serve others with selfless humility, see Colossians 1:27: “Christ in you [is] the hope of glory.”
If you hope to make a difference for Christ, you must operate from selfless strength. Not the insecure, wobbly strength of someone committed to being “true to self.” To reach people for Christ, you must be so strong that you can set your SELF aside. Are you that strong? Paul was:
“Although I am a free man and no one’s slave, I have made myself a slave to all, in order that I might win some. To the Jews, I became like a Jew to win Jews. To those under the law, I became like one under the law—though I myself am not under the law—to win those under the law. To those outside the law, I became like one outside the law—not being outside the law, but under Christ’s law—to win those outside the law. To the weak, I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some” 1 Corinthians 9:19-22.
Paul does not merely set aside his own will. He sets aside his point of view.
This is a man who can talk to those with whom he disagrees—and he can wrap his mind around their point of view. He can enter that point of view, inhabit the other person’s perspective. Can you? Some Christians are unwilling to consider alternative points of view, and their “black and white” position renders true conversation almost impossible. A good conversation requires some give and take, a volley like a tennis match. Imagine Paul—he can meet Jews in their obsession with Mosaic law and guide them to the cross. He can meet pagan Greeks in their pantheon of powerless idols and guide them to the One True God of Christianity. Paul can talk to the weak as though he too is weak. He can talk to the slave as though he too is a slave.
Have you had much success sharing your faith?
Consider Paul’s advice: don’t compromise your principles or doctrine, but learn how to see the world through someone else’s eyes. Meet them there. Become one of them.
“I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” 1 Corinthians 9:22.
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