We are What We Believe

This past weekend, my 13 year old son’s select baseball team played in a tournament in Dallas.  Upon arriving at the field for the first game, my son opened his door and was told by his father to be careful and watchful of the car next to ours. Tyler jumped out and reached to grab his bag when his door pushed open wider, tapping (literally tapping, no scratch) the door of the car...the $60,000 car.  The owner who was sitting in his $60,000 car flew out in an absolute rage screaming profanity in the face of our son, words that his virgin ears had never heard.  The man continued to yell, out of control, about his $60,000 car, despite the calm urging of my 6 ft. 4 husband to not speak that way in front of our child. The man was later rebuked by the baseball commissioner and his team’s coaches for his behavior.  I was so proud of my husband for controlling himself (which was incredibly difficult) and setting a Christian example for our son.  It made a huge impact on our son--not only respect for his father, but he will be much more attentive when getting out of our vehicle in a parking lot. One last bit of information, without any spitefulness (almost) …my son’s team won the tournament.

All kidding aside, have you noticed that God, at some point in our lives, puts us next to another person whose personal habits irritate us? I strongly believe He does this to develop Christ-like character in us, particularly patience, and to help us change for the good of other people.  I think the most spiritual person is the one who accepts irritating things with patience, bearing with the other person in love, and keeping the peace.

Did your parents ever remind you to remember who you are in regards to your behavior? What we believe matters. We are what we believe.  In Ephesians 4, Paul reminds us that the very highest calling a human being can have is living up to our inheritance in Christ.  Verses 1-6 list character traits that give us direction in this calling: humility and gentleness, patience – bearing with one another in love, and striving to keep unity.  We all know that unity can be very difficult at times and possible only by the grace of God and the gift of the Holy Spirit which dwells in all believers.  It is this unity we immediately recognize when we meet a genuine Christian and it is by the gift of the Spirit that we can call on those traits when dealing with an irritating situation.

True belief in Christ can never be separate from Christ-like behavior.  What God requires is not easy and it is not natural, but the love of Christ gives us courage, strength, and traits to model.

Carla Henson
Tuscola, Texas