Ottoke?

If people at my workplace don't consider me as a Christian, have I already become a stumbling block to them? 

The reason I ask this question is because my boss said something to me yesterday that got me thinking. He said that he knows a girl that might "actually be more Christian than [me]".

More Christian? I thought aloud to myself: is there such a scale to measure who is more Christian than another?

A few minutes later, while still conversing, my boss then said that he felt like the way I was talking to him was as if I didn't think he was a Christian. He then asserted that he IS one and that only God can judge.

I suppose that means he felt judged as I was talking to him.

Still, 1 Corinthians 5:12 says "What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?" 

This puts me in a predicament. If my boss is claiming to be a part of the holy universal church of God, I should be subject to his judgment and vice versa. But this gets more complicated...

He later proceeds to say that some people are in the camp of taking Scripture as Law and he thinks I am one of those people. (I told Eileen I wasn't sure if this was a compliment or not), but one thing is for sure. He distincts himself as one of those people who do NOT consider the Bible as absolute law. Instead, he believes only in loving God and loving others. While I agree with his last statement, I somehow sense that he believes in "Love God & Love others" as much as people believe Obama is a Liberal without understanding what being a Liberal means. 

The irony of it all? I don't know what to say to him because I used to be just like that. Seeing and hearing, but never understanding. 

If you're gonna ask me how I know he doesn't understand? This is how: 

"My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water" (James 3:12)

"By their fruit you will recognise them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?" (Matthew 7:16)

I know because of the fruit he bears. 

"The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentlesness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." (Galatians 5:19-24)

These were the very same verses that woke me to my blindness. 

I just can't believe how I used to live in the world and professed to be of Christ, yet I did not resemble anything like His offspring anymore than I look like the child of a blue-eyed Swiss. Now I feel like I'm meeting someone as exasperating as I am. Maybe my boss frustrates me because we are so much like each other. Stubborn, always think we are right, need to argue until we are right...... I see now the depth of patience that others needed to have when they were around me! 

But what now?

I don't know why this week seems so spiritually tough, but even as the battle rages, I will pray and trust that God will put the right words in my mouth and give me courage to speak at the right time. Over all this, I pray I will put love because love speaks louder than any language in the world. 

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One more thing.

I was quite bothered when I looked at my calendar and realised that there was hardly any green (I use green to mark anything I do that concerns Jesus Christ). The greens were mostly all on the weekends. Most of it was orange (work-related) or pink (fun stuff like skating). 

Perhaps I've been spending too much time focusing on the wrong things. It's time for a shift!

Back in the U.S., there was so much green. What happened? I don't know. But I'm gonna make space for God now.