I GOT UP ONE MORNING THIS WEEK AND WHAT PLAYED OVER AND OVER IN MY HEAD WAS THE PHRASE, "WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A CHRISTIAN?"  SO AS I DRANK MY "CUP OF JOE," I THOUGHT ABOUT IT.  THESE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT JUST CAME POURING OUT OF MY SPIRIT:

DOES IT MEAN THAT WE LET PEOPLE WALK ALL OVER US?

DOES IT MEAN THAT WE HAVE TO BE SEEN AND NOT HEARD AS WOMEN?

DOES IT MEAN THAT I THINK I AM BETTER THAN YOU?

DOES IT MEAN THAT I CAN SMILE TO YOUR FACE AND THEN TALK ABOUT YOU BEHIND YOUR BACK?

DOES WEALTH, OR FOR THAT MATTER POVERTY, MAKE YOU ANY BETTER OR WORSE THAN ANYONE ELSE WHO IS TRYING TO FOLLOW JESUS?

SO, I THEN THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT IT MEANT FOR ME TO BE A CHRISTIAN AND THESE ARE A FEW OF THE THINGS I CAME UP WITH:

I TRY TO FOLLOW JESUS, NOT A RELIGION, AND BRING HIM INTO EVERY SITUATION I CAN.

I ALWAYS TRY TO HELP THE ELDERLY.  YEARS AGO, I HAD AN ELDERLY WOMAN WHO ASKED ME TO ALWAYS CHECK HER FACE FOR ANYTHING UNSIGHTLY THAT MAY BE ON IT. SHE SAID SHE NEVER WANTED TO BE OUT IN PUBLIC AND HAVE SOMEONE SEE A REALLY LONG HAIR OR A BLEMISH AND HAVE THEM BE GROSSED OUT.  SHE COMMENTED THAT SHE DIDN'T SEE WELL ANYMORE AND SHE WOULD BE HUMILIATED IF SHE THOUGHT SOMEONE WAS SNEERING AT HER.  I HAVE SINCE MADE A POINT TO DO THAT FOR EVERY WOMAN OR MAN GOD PLACES IN MY PATH.  GROWING OLD DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU ARE READY TO BE THROWN AWAY OR MADE FUN OF.  EVEN AS THE OUTSIDE OF YOUR BODIES GROW OLDER, OUR SPIRITS (THAT WILL LIVE ON FOREVER) WON'T GROW OLDER...THEY STILL FEEL YOUNG.  I KNOW I AM GOING TO "REAP WHAT I SOW" SO MAYBE SOMEDAY SOMEONE WILL KEEP ME FROM BEING EMBARRASSED BY SOMETHING ON ME THAT WOULD SEEM UNPLEASANT TO OTHERS.

I RECALL ONE SUNDAY IN CHURCH A FELLOW BROTHER HAD BECOME TOO OLD TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CHOIR, WHICH HE DEARLY LOVED (TODAY HE IS IN HEAVEN).  WE WERE SINGING A HYMN AND HE WAS SITTING IN THE PEW AND NO ONE WAS PAYING ANY ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT HE WASN'T HOLDING A HYMNAL AND SINGING.  I GOT UP FROM MY SEAT AND KNELT IN THE AISLE (THERE WERE NO OTHER SEATS) AND HELD UP A HYMNAL FOR HIM SO HE COULD SING.  ANOTHER TIME WHEN HE WAS ON HIS DEATHBED, I SUGGESTED TO THE CHOIR THAT THEY GO TO HIS HOUSE AND HOLD CHOIR PRACTICE, AS THIS MAN HAD DEDICATED HIS VOICE TO THAT SAME CHOIR FOR YEARS.  YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE LOOK ON THAT MAN'S FACE AS THE CHOIR APPEARED AT HIS HOUSE FOR PRACTICE!

FOR ME, BEING A CHRISTIAN MEANS HELPING THE HUNGRY, THE NEEDY, THE DOWNTRODDEN IN ANY WAY I CAN.  I HAVE BEEN IN CHURCHES WHERE SOME OF THE NEEDIEST PEOPLE AREN'T EVEN BEING HELPED.  WHAT IS GOING ON?  WE NEED TO START WITHIN OUR OWN CONGREGATIONS, MAKING A POINT TO FIND OUT WHO NEEDS OUR HELP.  IF WE SAY WE FOLLOW JESUS AND DON'T, WELL...THANK GOD I AM NOT THE JUDGE.

I FEEL THESE ARE A FEW OF THE THINGS ONE DOES WHEN THEY SAY THEY FOLLOW JESUS...JUST A FEW.  THE BOTTOM LINE IS "TO DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU."  I WANT TO LEAVE A LEGACY THAT MAKES PEOPLE SAY I HAD A LOT OF CHRIST-LIKE QUALITIES.  THINK ABOUT THE PEOPLE YOU HAVE KNOWN WHO HAVE DIED.  WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT THEM?  WHAT LEGACY DID THEY LEAVE?

I CHALLENGE YOU THIS WEEK TO THINK ABOUT WHAT BEING A CHRISTIAN MEANS TO YOU.  YOU KNOW JESUS WAS CLEAR AND HE WAS VERY SIMPLE WHEN HE SAID, "FOLLOW ME."

HAVE A GOOD WEEK...

MOLLY