Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Weird

I got called weird at church this week. Well, not only me, but most of my closest friends as well. It’s taken me a while to figure out what to do with that—being called weird, at church, for my personal theological convictions. It’s not as though I don’t accept that I might be a bit weird. But then, who isn’t? And am I weirder than most? Because of the way I pray?

So, just for kicks, I went online and Googled, “Am I weird?” (I figured just doing that was a pretty good indication.) Turns out there are plenty of quizzes out there that will tell you just how weird you are. Naturally, I took a few.

They all seemed to say that I’m pretty mildly weird, and I guess I have to agree in light of some of the questions they were asking. In the scope of the really scary-weird things that people think and say and do, my life suddenly seemed very tame.

Still, in the context of the Baptist church I attend, it’s likely that I register higher-than-normal on the weirdness scale. I’ve tried my best not to rattle sabres or nerves, but I guess it’s just in me to be weird. Even so, to be called weird for the way I pray? It’s not encouraging. And it has caused me to weigh, once again, the relative benefits of being considered weird in my current denomination against being accepted, possibly encouraged, in another.

Ultimately, all churches have the same problem—they are merely collections of flawed people. There is no perfect church. There are only people being perfected in Christ. And so my hope is not fixed on the church, but on Christ.

Weirdness is relative. I am Christ’s, and it is my intention to follow Him to the best of my ability, and in accordance with my personal convictions. If that makes me weird to some people, so be it.

No comments:

Post a Comment