How to Be Christ-like to Someone Who Needs a Punch in the Face

Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry… easier said than done right? I’ve really been struggling with this idea lately, especially when daily dealing with people with a seeming propensity to make really unfortunate decisions. I often find myself shaking my head and letting it be so as not to offend because I am Christian and “accepting”; taught not to judge and to love everyone. While I often find myself going this route, I also often find myself wondering if this is the “Christian” thing to do at all.  Have we as Christians become so wrapped up in being “loving” and “accepting” that we fail to speak truth? When did we become scared of the truth? Maybe around the same time that we became scared of not receiving acceptance. Its this cycle of acceptance that gets us. We accept everything so that we can be accepted by everyone.

It is not my intention to say that acceptance is futile. Accepting people as they are and loving them as Christ wants us to should be the basis of all of our relationships. But as we grow in relationship, what if we see a friend or family member going down a path or making decisions that will ultimately devastate? Do we sit back and let them “live their life” and stay out of it for fear that they might get mad? Or that we would be seen as unaccommodating or judgmental? Maybe we don’t go the route of a “punch in the face” as this blog title suggests, but what about admonishing a friend with a swift “slap in the face” of truth? Maybe a “hey man, do you really think this is what you should be doing?” or a “You really need to look at what you are doing here.” When I think of my closest friends, these have been the ones who have guided me and told me when I was wrong, even when it hurt; even when I unfortunately may not have listened or gotten upset; when I finally hit rock bottom, I remembered who I should have listened to.

Colossians 3:16

New International Version (NIV)

16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

May we learn the difference between admonishment and judgment and seek to guide our loved ones through the help of Christ and his message.