When I first came to Sri Lanka, i was being myself the way we were back in my beloved Kiwi land.. a place like no other.. where we will always have a smile and perhaps a hi with a few words of exchange about the weather with people we encounter along the way.
I would keep smiling at everyone as its my personality too. The lady I was staying with when I first moved here kept scolding me and telling me to wipe that smile off and keep a straight face when out in public.
Isnt being loving and pleasant how a Christian ought to be – i asked her with much confusion in my heart. She replied thats not the way society works here.. i didnt get it.
A number of believers think that being a Christian means to be loving and friendly at all times that you are a door mat for all to walk all over you and get their benefits from you… The elderly treating you like their personal servant that you have nothing else to do. Men who are married or in committed relationships thinking you are their objects of fantasy and that you ought to laugh at their distasteful jokes or be happy at their vivid descriptions of your body or that you are to be friendly and keep them entertained as if its their right to have you as their mistress withoit realising we are the daughters of the King of Kings and we deserve to be a respectable wife to a godly man. No its a believers right not to answer a fool.
Boy oh boy now do I understand clearly what that aunty was going on about then.
I think of Jesus. He was full of grace and compassion and mercy to the sinners who were REPENTANT. Yet to the very ones who claimed to be of God.. to the experts of the law.. the religious leaders He never hesitated to speak up directly and forthroght.. you hypocrites brood of vipers dogs evil doers is how He often addressed them.
Sadly if He were to be here now He would be pulling up several of these high profile religious leaders in the same fashion for their abusive and explotative nature. .
Jesus tells us that He sends us out like sheep amongst wolves. And cautions us to be as harmless as doves but as shrewd as serpents. We need to keep leaning on God to be prudent to recognise the sheep from the wolf in sheeps clothing. Jesus had firm boundaries and He expressed anger where due too.
God shows us that being loving is also about discipline. Jesus is the lamb as much as the Lion. Love and judgment are two sides of the coin. Jesus tells us to pluck our right eye out if that is causing us to sin. Likewise if someone even if its a two phased religious leader is attempting to cause you to sin with vulgar words or flattering language we as believers run away from that person just like Joseph escaped the advances of Potiphars wife. A believer treasures holiness and doesnt seek to please people.
A believer who worships God in spirit and in truth knows that without holiness we will not see God. No. being friendly and not having boundaries isnt the way of a godly man or woman.
Set godly boundaries and dont liaten to the lies of the deceiver attempting to catch you in the snare to lure you away from the narrow path.
Reflections 