Thursday 7 April 2016

F is for Faith

Time to get personal…

To officially announce that you're a Christian is not always easy. People have so many opinions on that, even if they haven't the faintest clue what you're talking about, and they somehow feel that they're entitled - or even obliged - to tell you about it. That's no less true in Sweden, the land of the "you should never stand out" -population. Especially if you admit you're dedicated to the Swedish Church, the former state church. I can't shake the feeling that members of my church (in other's eyes) are supposed to be as lukewarm as its spokesmen often seems.

Enough of that. This post is supposed to be about faith. See how easy it was for me to avoid it? An obvious sign of how touchy it is even for me - and I work for the Swedish Church. I'm a children's teacher, telling the gospel in words and deeds every day to kids aged 3-12… and still I get uncomfortable when asked directly, or when I have to get personal?

Sure, I don't like to answer any kind of personal questions. Maybe that's part of being an introvert. It's much easier for me to talk about general things, like what the Church believes, than when it gets personal. And by far easier to write about it than to talk about it.

As a kid it was easier to say "I believe in Jesus". I guess people thought it cute, or it was something I would grow out of. As a teen I proudly wore a cross around my neck, and since I had friends who was either in church with me or knew me well enough to not care that was no problem. I can't really say I've ever denied being a Christian, but for some (stupid) reason it's always been hard to say it out loud.

I've grown bolder with age. My faith still isn't something I shout out to everyone I casually meet but I still often wear a cross around my neck or in my pierced ears, or a wreath of "Pearls of Life" around my wrist. For every time someone asks it's getting easier to nod and look them in the eyes and tell them that, yes, I believe in God, in Christ, in the Bible's teachings.

And it feels good inside every time I say it.

2 comments:

  1. I agree it is hard to talk about our Faith, but as time goes on it gets easier.

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    Replies
    1. It does.
      Thanks for taking the time to agree with me :)

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