Because of the values (relating to money) that I hold as a Christian, I struggled with trying to get customers to purchase as much merchandise as I could. I felt that there were better things they could be spending their money on, such as giving to ministries that help people all over the world. I also struggled when my managers would commend me for selling multiple hundreds of dollars of items. I simply couldn’t wrap my mind around why that was a good thing. I quickly became frustrated with others for not feeling the same way that I did.
This went on for a couple months, until I finally felt God begin to work on my heart, teaching me things about my everyday life as a Christian. I discovered that I was putting what I believed at the forefront of my interactions with others. It was almost as if I had a relationship filter on all the time. People who I could agree with on things I felt were important could get through the filter and have a relationship with me; however, those that I did not necessarily agree with were simply people I knew. I think this is something that many Christians struggle with today. A large portion of believers don’t know how to interact with people who think differently about things like money, sexuality, God’s existence, drugs, and the list could go on. We struggle to see how we can be enjoyable to hang out with yet disagree with some of the life choices they make.
All this thought brought me back to considering the way Jesus interacted with others. He never had this issue. All through Scripture, Jesus is befriending and hanging out with people who did not necessarily care about the way of life that He modeled. Yet He was clearly enjoyable to be around because unbelievers were constantly around Him.
Overall, I came to one conclusion that I would like to share: As soon as our convictions become more important than the person standing in front of us, we are no longer able to interact in a way that reflects Christ. If our purpose is to bring others into a relationship with the living God through His Son Jesus, then we should pursue strictly that objective. When our purpose becomes changing someone’s actions, we cause frustration and bring them no closer to a relationship with Christ. Jesus didn’t try to change people’s actions. He made His life and His mission so convincing and desirable that people wanted to change. This change always did and does begin with believing in Jesus as our Savior.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”
- Ephesians 2:8
These are my thoughts. I'd love to hear yours!