3. People who live out their faith consider character, when everyone else considers outcome.
Christianity gives us an awareness of our internal matters. It allows us to not be blind to how certain decisions affect our heart. But most of the time, we can only be focused on our external success, and how outcomes can make us profitable or not. We can entirely ignore character if we’re not careful.
The people who live out their faith daily always keep an eye on their character. They never wholly follow a decision that leads to a profitable, external outcome. They weigh the heart behind the matters.
So next time, don’t silence the voice that begs you to consider character in a situation. Instead, amplify it.
4. People who live out their faith cultivate and sharpen community in all contexts.
I have a friend who intentionally creates community everywhere—even at the job he hates. He’s not concerned about whether or not he can be friends with certain people. He simply gives all people around him the space to be themselves—and that creates, sustains and sharpens community.
Creating community is about adding value to people’s lives. It recognizes that people are not to be used but loved.
A person who lives out their faith every day is involved in the messy work of creating community because they believe people are in their lives for a godly purpose—not to be wasted for a quick flash of entertainment.
5. People who live out their faith honor their roles to the best of their abilities.
I had a friend once have me list out all my roles in life. It was hard for me to think through at first, but he seemed to be able to do it easily. This ease was the result of him constantly being aware of his roles and how he served in them—how he loved as a husband, how he served as an employee and how he cared as a father.
Oftentimes, we can be blind to our roles. But Jesus calls us to glorify Him in these roles. That means choosing to be excellent in our roles. We can’t let them slip by unnoticed any longer.
6. People who live out their faith see the significance in small moments.
Another friend named Bill will not miss the opportunity to chat with the person bagging his groceries about Jesus. He’s aware that small, mundane things can have extraordinary significance. This shift in perspective is honestly difficult for me to maintain. I can’t see everyday things as being bigger than what they are. Instead, I think that in order to serve God, I have to fly to a foreign country and play with kids less fortunate.
Bill doesn’t see it that way. Bill sees opportunities to serve God in the small things. And maybe that’s what Jesus meant when He said to be faithful in the little things (Luke 16:10).
7. People who live out their faith suffer in godly ways.
Gentry and Hadley Eddings were driving home from a wedding when a truck crashed into their car, killing their toddler and unborn baby. When the world expected them to shatter in their pain, they transformed their pain into pulpit. They gave the donations given to them to Mission of Hope Haiti, while also forgiving the truck driver.
You see, they didn’t trumpet their pain for pity. Instead, they picked up the pieces and gave a beautiful picture of Christ’s love to the world.
It’s possible to not completely break in your pain. It’s possible to give back in the times you feel that daily ache and pain. But to do so requires that you see the redemption possible in the greatest pain. That’s what Christianity is all about—redemption.
