Fitting the mold

I have been giving this subject some thought lately. Does the church or Christian culture at times force people to believe they have fit a certain mold?

I think things are better now days than they used to be. There might still be the stereotype of Christians as being Bible carrying nerds who only enjoy Bible studies and Sunday School sessions. They only listen to gospel music and never laugh at funny jokes or watch great TV shows.

Going beyond stereotypes, have you ever experienced being at a revival, conference, retreat, etc. and it seems like everyone is experiencing God except you? Have you left that weekend on a “spiritual high” and came home and struggled mightily while it looks like everyone else is easily gliding through this new lifestyle?

I know that I have been there. I have personally come home and went through the exact same steps they did and I sure couldn’t have the same results.

I will call this the “Mama’s recipe phenomenon.” Allow me to explain. My mom is known for her baking skills. She is always baking things for holidays, birthdays, funerals, and just for no other reason at all than to fill the freezer at my house when she runs out of room in her own. She’s always prepared for the unexpected need for baked goods. Many people enjoy her goodies and look forward to receiving them throughout the year. Mama isn’t like head chef that closely guards her family heirloom recipes. I have witnessed her on many occasions give out her recipes and even give advice on how to prepare each dish. I have also witnessed on many occasions these same people come back and say they have done exactly what she has said, yet their food does not taste nearly as good as Mama’s. Now the answer is one of two things: #1 Mama ain’t telling the whole truth about her recipes OR #2 Recipes just do not work the same for everyone (different brand ingredients, oven, pan, etc.)

We can also look at the ministry of Jesus to see that not everyone is ministered to in the same way. Take for example the way that Jesus healed blind people.
· Matthew 20, says, “Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.”
· Mark 8, reads, “When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him……then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.”
· Mark 10, tells us, “The blind man said, ‘Rabbi, I want to see.’ ‘Go,’ said Jesus, ‘your faith has healed you.’ Immediately he received his sight.”
· Lastly, John 9 states, “He spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.”

Jesus healed blindness by touching, spitting, speaking, and placing mud on their eyes. Four different ways to get to one result, sight. Why then do we allow ourselves to believe there is only 1 or 2 certain ways to minister for God?

What we need to realize is that God created each and every one of us different from everyone else. There are no cookie cutter molds we must fit into. There is nothing wrong with being a Bible-toting nerd, but that isn’t what Christianity is all about. A life lived for Jesus isn’t about following rules simply because we fear a mighty backhand from the Man Upstairs. People give Jesus followers a boring image by insinuating they don’t explore, laugh, or enjoy life.

This new life is the complete opposite of boring! It is about adventure, it is about searching, it is about putting God’s will above our own. It is the essence of excitement, to live a life for something that is far greater than we are alone.