Be an Agent of Change, Live Your Beliefs

Belief is a very personal thing isn’t it?
And, no matter what you try, there really isn’t anything you can say to change someone else’s belief. Or is there?

I remember as a five-year-old little, I truly and deeply believed that there was a monster living under my bed. No matter how many times my daddy looked under the bed and assured me that there was nothing there, I still believed that when the lights went out, and I was all alone, that an ugly hand would come out from under that bed and grab me, should my feet hit the ground.

I’m not sure where I got that belief, really. We didn’t watch scary movies and I don’t recall any superstitious beliefs being taught in our home. Nonetheless, it took some growing up, some life experience, and a huge need to get up in the middle of the night to use the potty (accompanied by an even greater fear of getting a spanking should I wet the bed again simply because I was too afraid to get out of it) to overcome that belief.

The one person who I trusted to keep me safe, my dad, could not talk me out of my fear.

When I think of it, I believed a lot of crazy things when I was young and inexperienced.

As a child, I believed that Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy were real. After all, they gave me gifts.

As a teen, I believed that cussing, being loud, and acting tough were necessary in order to gain the respect of others, because that is how I finally got childhood bullies to leave me be.

As a young adult, jaded by the disappointments of life, I had grown to believe that the world was a horrible place filled with mean, selfish people who didn’t care about anyone but themselves.

How does a little girl go from believing in fairy tales and make-believe monsters to believing the world is filled with very real beasts and giants?

 

Experience.

 

Strangely enough, there remains a part of me that believes, as a child, that impossible things are possible.

And, given the right situation, that teenage girl will rise up to put you in your place, should she see you bullying someone. And, uh. . . she knows how to drop an F-bomb like a weapon of mass destruction, so, eh . . . don’t provoke her.

When I see posts of Facebook friends speaking of “stringing up evangelicals” and “the world would be better off if they were all dead”, I wonder if they realize that I am reading these posts. It’s difficult for me to understand how the “party of tolerance” can be so intolerant. Sadly, it could be so easy to fall into the belief of that young adult, except that I know better than to allow that.

I once believed that God was too busy running the universe to waste time on me and my simple needs.

I had a lot of beliefs about God that, looking back, were based solely on my perceptions and not based in any real experience or interaction with God.

To me, today, there is no mistaking my beliefs. If you have befriended me on Facebook, then you see my son’s baptism displayed proudly on my banner. I post scripture references. I talk about God regularly. At least I thought I did. But a friend  recently pointed out to me that in my attempt to make others feel accepted, despite differences in our beliefs, I come across as uncomfortable with my own.

Funny thing is, I’m not at all uncomfortable with my beliefs. And, frankly, I’ve earned the right to talk about them. But, I resist being lumped in with people’s impressions, both believers and non-believers, of what a Christian is and how a Christian is supposed to be.

Pursuing righteousness is a noble thing, but I fully understand how flawed I am. Trust me. Most of us do.

And here is one thing that I know to be true . . . what we say will not likely change another’s beliefs. As someone who believes in the power of words, that is a difficult thing to admit.

So, please stop being so argumentative, defensive, and (for some of you) stop being so down right belligerent about what you believe. (um . . . like stringing people up who believe different than you).

If you really want to be an agent of change, live your beliefs.

The bible speaks of being a living “letter . . . known and read by all”. Because, if your beliefs work, people will notice. They will want what you have. And then, perhaps, your words may effect change.

I honestly, didn’t expect to approach this deep topic so early into this writing challenge, but, if we are to express ourselves in the marketplace in totality – as all that we are — then our beliefs must be front and center, I imagine.

Your beliefs are at the core of who you are, and to hide them in order to give others a sense of security is utterly wrong. I realize that now.

In order to be authentic with your audience, it is imperative that you be willing to share your beliefs. I don’t condone a “shove it down your throat, take it or leave it” approach. But, if we want people to really know us, then we’ve got to be willing to reveal our core – unashamed, and without reservation.

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