“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.”
- 1 Corinthians 16:13-14
I’ve noticed people have some funny ideas about Christians.
Apparently, because my human follows Jesus, some folks think he’s supposed to walk around smiling all the time, never get angry, never make mistakes, never say the wrong thing, and let everybody walk all over him.
Basically, they think Christians are supposed to be house-trained doormats.
Now, I’m just a dog, but even I know better than that.
I’m pretty easygoing myself.
I’ll let you scratch my ears.
I’ll share the couch.
I might even move over if you ask nicely.
But mess with my human and you’ll quickly discover there’s a difference between gentle and weak.
My human says people sometimes confuse those two things when it comes to following Jesus.
Jesus taught us to love our enemies.
He didn’t teach us to be afraid of them.
He taught us to turn the other cheek.
He didn’t tell us to surrender our convictions.
He taught us to forgive.
He never said wrongdoing doesn’t matter.
And following Jesus certainly doesn’t mean my human suddenly stopped being human.
I’ve watched him stumble.
I’ve heard him apologize.
I’ve seen him lose his patience, make bad decisions, and occasionally say something he probably wished this old dog hadn’t heard.
Christians still sin.
The difference isn’t that followers of Jesus never fall.
It’s Who they reach for when they do.
They repent.
They get back up.
They keep following.
There’s another preconceived notion too—that Christians shouldn’t stand their ground.
I remember my human once quoting former major league pitcher Orel Hershiser saying, “Just because I’m a Christian doesn’t mean I’m a wimp.”
The Word reminds us to stand firm. Be courageous. Be strong.
Then comes the part that makes Christian strength different:
“Do everything in love.”
That’s the balance.
Strong without being cruel.
Bold without being arrogant.
Forgiving without becoming a punching bag.
Humble enough to admit when we’re wrong and courageous enough to stand when we’re right.
Following Jesus doesn’t make us wimps.
It makes us warriors who understand that the battle isn’t always won with teeth showing.
Sometimes real strength is controlling the bite.
Sometimes it’s walking away.
Sometimes it’s forgiving.
Sometimes it’s standing your ground and saying, “No farther.”
And sometimes it’s admitting, “Lord, I messed up again.”
Then getting back up, dusting off and following Him.
So don’t confuse kindness with weakness.
Don’t confuse grace with surrender.
Don’t confuse being a Christian with being perfect.
And when you stumble and you will…
Get back up… and shake off the dust.
We’re following Jesus.
Some days better than others.
But we’re still following.
And… there’s nothing weak about that.
Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
