Category Archives: Religion

Special Obligations

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What Do You Think? Wednesday

With my mom being admitted to the hospital, me having an emergency root canal, Joshua breaking a bathroom sink off the wall and my book deal contract negotiations coming to an abrupt end, Monday had enough challenges for an entire year. Have you had a day like that? Well, challenging as it was and has been since, I praise God for His word and my brothers and sisters in Christ who have rallied by my side. These friends have called, texted, visited and babysat, checking on my mom and allowing me to see about my mom. They have put in the forefront of my mind another example of the “special obligations” that we as Christians have to our faith.

I use the term special obligations because this phrase stood out to me in a recent article about the Christian presence at the “Occupy” protests. The Christians interviewed said they had “special obligations” as Christians but didn’t feel a need to mention Jesus or evangelize as they participated in the movement. This got me thinking: What are our special obligations as Christians, particularly those of us who are seeking to shed our strong black woman ways and have chosen to privilege Christianity over personal strength, blackness and womanhood and any other worldly moniker that we have held dear? Please read the article and make sure to tell me what you think.

A Safe Place

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What Do You Think? Wednesdays

The other day my sister and I were talking about what makes non-church going folks say “I have to get myself together” and “I don’t have nothing to wear” before they can come to church. Sometimes they claim these are barriers because they want to keep on living the way they’re living, but sometimes they really do think self-help and a Sunday best wardrobe are what they need. Where did they get these notions? I believe folks in the church have created these barriers, ridiculous preconditions that have nothing to do with the soul-saving power of Jesus Christ and the transforming work that He can continually do in our lives. We don’t have the power to get ourselves together and we can never dress up our pain and confusion. But non-church going folks think so, and others, especially we strong black women, do, too.

Our legacy of strength makes us believe we have to keep ourselves together, never falling apart, never exposing ourselves to the church, the body of Christ, our family, fitly joined together to meet everyone’s needs (Ephesians 4:16). This includes OUR needs. We don’t get help in the church because we don’t want to expose ourselves and, unfortunately, churches don’t want us exposing ourselves. They need us to keep it together to run the ministries we run and some leaders just don’t know how to minister to us. The façade is easier, but no one can play these roles forever. We eventually fall apart in a farther gone place because of too few safe spaces like this website that are so prevalent outside the church. I thank God for my church’s counseling ministry that even has designated times to just walk-in and see a counselor. We even have intimate classes for women taught by strong biblical women. Besides offering these ministries and other sermon-styled women’s ministry functions (that usually don’t allow for transparency and intimacy), what does your church do or what do you think the church needs to do to create safe places for hurting women who think they need to mask their pain? As always, I look forward to hearing from you.

Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith

Living in and Loving the World

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What Do You Think? Wednesdays

Be in the world but not of the world, we Christians are told, but to tell you the truth, I don’t always know what that looks like. I struggle with Paul’s statement that he became all things to all people to win some to Christ. What does that really mean? How did he do that? Even as I try to navigate the world system and not look like the world system, to win nonbelievers to Jesus Christ, I find myself waiting to hear step by step instructions from God. That’s the only way I’ve been able to attend secular gatherings and let my light shine, to speak of the Divine without compromise or condemnation. I believe the book One Thousand Gifts, by far my most favorite recent read, does just that. The book by Ann Voskamp is honest about her Christian struggles, questioning God’s goodness but eventually accepting all as grace from God. One Thousand Gifts goes into the world (including being on the New York Times Bestseller List), putting forth raw emotions and poetic language that many—Christians and non-Christians—can relate to, but it never embraces the world’s conclusions of creating a comfortable God who is easy to consume. Voskamp’s work is definitely a great example of being in the world and not of the world, maybe even becoming all things to all people to win some to Christ.

How have you come to understand Paul’s declaration in 1 Corinthians 9:2? What are some ways that your life demonstrates being in the world, not of the world, and winning folks to Christ?

Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith

Seek Connection

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What Do You Think? Wednesday

Actually, you got What Do You Think? Wednesday on Monday. Today I bring you a typical Monday message:

When loss comes you realize what type of relationships you have. We see this when our loved ones die, when we lose a job or some other prestigious position, even when we lose our mind. We find out who is in our corner, who wants to be but who just doesn’t know how and about those who were just along for the good ride. With my own recent loss—that of my beloved constant connection to the world for about a week—I found out about some people in my life, especially me and my relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Of course the loss of the Internet, home phone and cell phone use don’t compare to the above losses, but they definitely showed me:

1) That, indeed, I have great people in my life. After using the library’s Internet connection to post on Facebook my technology woes, my friend Adrienne called me from Arkansas and through the crackling line shouted her concern that nothing nefarious had caused the disruption. Another sister, Kamil, heard me through the statically line say I couldn’t even call her back on my cell phone; she had just upgraded her cell phone and offered to loan me her old one that I could use with my own phone number.

2) Life without ready technology causes you to be still and resourceful. Eventually after the home phone line went dead, I didn’t bother to even answer the phone. At first I ran to get it in hopes that the line was restored. I accepted that checking the line AFTER a phone technician had come to check the wiring would be best. Also, before I got Kamil’s phone, I decided that charging my cell phone every 20 minutes was something that I was no longer willing to do. As for being resourceful, I used the public library, help lines and my own experience with technology to reconnect to the outside world.

3) I don’t work hard enough to connect to God when our regular connection has been altered. With each child came a change in my quiet time and I had to find a new norm. I have accepted that my time may not be a dedicated, uninterrupted period in the morning with Bible readings and talks to Him throughout the day. Now, depending on the children’s needs, I may get that dedicated time, but more than likely my studying, reading and conversations can only be in spurts. Even though my consistent morning quiet time no longer works, I find myself spending too much time hoping the old way returns instead of pressing hard to connect with God in resourceful ways throughout the day.
I was a hardworking sister, trying to get connected to the outside world and that tired me out. I know my energies will be better spent seeking to connect to God with last week’s abandon. He promises that His burden is easy and His yoke is light. Now that’s the kind of weight and hook up we all need.

What have you learned from unexpected changes in your life?

Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith