Doug Van Pelt

Unbelieving Bob

I wonder what people said or thought about Saul prior to his conversion. He was a Christian killer, so I'm sure that the believers in his time were not too fond of the guy. He was no doubt feared to some extent. I can't speak for believers in the first century for obvious reasons, but it's possible we might not be too far off in ascribing to them common human characteristics. I wonder if people ever took the time to ponder, 'What makes this Saul guy act the way he does? What fuels his anger towards Christians?' I bet some of these believers prayed for him, asking God to reveal His Son Jesus to him. Little did they know that he would soon be born again.

This idea makes me slow to judge people. Yes, we might know someone who is making choices that are damaging to themselves and those around them... We might know someone who mocks our faith and/or tries to "push our buttons" with derrogatory statements or jokes. They might embrace a lifestyle that flies in the face of peaceful and God-loving attitudes ... but we don't really know how this person might be acting tomorrow -- or next week or next year.

I hope that in any of these cases that I might experience with friends or other people -- I hope that my behavior now isn't something I'll regret or apologize for later. I'd prefer to rejoice with a brother or sister after they are reborn/restored/redeemed and not have to say, "I'm sorry I was so judgmental and mean to you before this." I would certainly prefer to hear something like, "Thanks for being a good example" or "Thanks for not being judgmental and mean to me while I was lost in my sin" or "I used to think Christians were out to lunch, but your example made being a Christian seem attractive." Now, that would be cool to hear.

Granted, sometimes loving actions or words of conflict or confrontation can be perceived as "judgmental or mean," but that's not something we can entirely be responsible for. Sometimes some people are so twisted up that anything outside of their sphere is seen as suspect and antagonistic. One example would be the alcoholic or drug addict. Sometimes their perception of reality can be delusional. Anyone that doesn't enable them or vocally support their current actions are sometimes treated with disdain. In a case like that, we can try even harder to be sensitive and choose our words and actions even more carefully, but sometimes those are situations where we have to live with (and even expect) indifference or friction instead of gratitude for our actions. Maybe later that person will apologize for their actions/anger/disrespect, etc.

Maybe just imagining that so & so falls in love with their heavenly Father will be enough of an attitude adjustment for us to think twice about our actions and prompt us to prayer. Intercessory prayer is so cool. It's often "silent love" that no one else on earth knows about, but God hears it.