Defending Our Faith

Have you ever been in the position where you had to defend your faith?  It can be very uncomfortable, especially when you are dealing with hostility or even jokes about your faith.

A couple of years ago I worked as a preschool teacher.  My faith was almost like a joke to one co-worker in particular.  She would try to engage me in conversations but I knew it wasn’t out of genuine interest for what I believe.  She wanted to find some kink in what I believed.  In all honesty, she wanted to get a good laugh.

But there were times when she got mad instead.  When she outright asked one day how a person gets to heaven and I told her, she wasn’t very happy with my answer.  She already knew what I was going to say, I’m sure…but hearing it seemed to be like a prickle to her senses and she was very uncomfortable.

She would also argue with me about some of my beliefs.  I found it disconcerting many a time and there were even moments when I could feel my blood inside boiling.  But I knew that in “defending” my faith I wasn’t alone.

It got to a point where I knew I wasn’t going to get anywhere with her.  I had planted the seeds, she had heard the truth and now it was up to others to either reap the harvest or continue to plant more seeds.  There comes a time when you know you have said all you can say when it comes to defending your faith.

If you are getting to the point where you are frustrated, you are responding in an ungodly manner or you are feeling anger then you should probably put the brakes on.  I knew I was getting to that point and I didn’t want to lose my witness, so I chose to change the subject whenever I could. 

I had basically said all I could say.  I was leaving it up to God.  But just because the act of defending my faith had stopped, didn’t mean my prayers for my co-worker stopped.  I continued to pray for her.  And I trust that God will use all of those seeds planted to one day bring forth a harvest of salvation.

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  1. Chris Vogel said:

    Uncomfortable, eh? Gee, I wonder why. When you consider the sanctimonious, smug (and entirely illegitimate) superiority and condecension with which ‘christians’ commonly treat everyone else, and the scorn you heap on everyone else’s beliefs, or absence of them, and your determinationn to use the powers of the state to force your beliefs on others, I guess you are due some discomfort in return. Poor babies, you will get used to it. At least, since modern secular governments do not permit your traditional response difference (torture and mass murder), you will not be victim to it yourself. If, on the other hand, you live in a place whose residents take their religion as seriously as you do, things are different.

    March 15, 2011
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  2. said:

    Hello Stephanie, I feel your pain. I know what it’s like to defend your faith and be ridiculed and criticized. Not fun. But remember what our Lord said, and I’m paraphrasing: If they persecute me they will persecute you also. No servant is greater than his master. All we can do is share our faith and pray for those who don’t believe. And definitely share the love of Christ, which is so important to draw those in who don’t believe the beautiful truth of placing their faith in Christ for everlasting life.

    March 15, 2011
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  3. Chris Vogel said:

    Actually Judy, I don’t “share” my faith, and that is an approach I recommend. You could condider your faith to be a private matter–an approach you would like since it is the standard conservative christian rant about sexual orientation (which does, after all, affect your whole life)–rather than making a public spectacle of it. As for praying (and any other action that comes into your mind) about other’s beliefs, surely you realize that they, in their humble opinion (another recommendation) don’t want or need it.

    March 15, 2011
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  4. said:

    Hi Chris, As Christians, we are to do what Jesus want us to do, and that is to share the gospel message to everyone who’s never heard it before, so souls will be saved (Mark 13:10). Heaven and hell are a reality that Jesus talked about quite a bit (Read Luke 16:23). In order to go to heaven, Jesus says we must place our faith in Him; we must believe who He says He is. Jesus says He is the Messiah, He is Lord, He is our salvation (John 3:16-18). All we have to do is believe that Jesus is Lord and that He rose from the dead, and we have everlasting life in Heaven (Romans 10:9-11). This is the most beautiful message one could ever hear because it gives us hope here in this life and beyond the grave. In Heaven, there is no more death, suffering, sickness, or disease (Revelation 21:4). Nothing but peace, love, and joy exists in Heaven. And heaven is a beautiful place that we can’t even imagine (Revelation 21:1-3). And Jesus promises to prepare a place for us there (John 14:1-3). Jesus loves you, me and everyone in the whole world, but we are sinful by nature and must be changed or transformed from the inside out. Placing our faith in Christ changes us because His Holy Spirit comes to live inside of us. It’s one of those incredible miracles that Man cannot explain or fathom. Please don’t take my word for any of this. I urge you to read the scriptures for yourself. We should share our faith, however, our relationship with God can be kept private if we choose. Take care. Blessings, Judy

    March 16, 2011
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  5. Chris Vogel said:

    Hi Judy, Given your uncontrollable determination to tell everybody else what to believe, you will have to accept everbody else telling you what you should believe, instead. (Of course, you won’t really accept that, and that is the problem. However, the good news is that, these days, that is your problem, and not theirs; you are just a nuisance.)

    March 16, 2011
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