One of our good friends here is a 2nd year university student. She has a friend who asked “What makes Christianity different? Why should I believe it versus something else?” My friend said something that was awesome - she said that the thing that makes believing in Jesus different for her is how He has changed her life. She has the right attitude in knowing that people need to know that we, as fallen human beings ourselves, are all redeemed through our self-sacrificing Savior. No other belief system can offer such grace.
The trouble, sometimes, with conveying this truth is that some people see Christians as being “hateful” or “mean-spirited” and often write off Jesus as a result. While we shouldn’t sacrifice eternal truths for the temporary comfort of being accepted, we should always make showing the love of Jesus our goal. Jesus showed others that He was different. While He always honored God, He showed grace, love, and compassion. He understood temptation and the struggles of being human. While we have to give ourselves grace (hey...we’re not Jesus), we need to remember the One we strive to emulate.
Let’s say we are at a restaurant and various forms of belief are on the menu. What looks good? The guy with the bad attitude sitting next to you picks Christianity. Doesn’t sound as good to you as a nice peaceful slice of Buddhism, does it?
My friend is a remarkable woman of God who does not keep her faith a secret and tries to show love to her friends. We need to show people why Christianity is the one they should pick from the menu...we need to show something different.