Skip to main content

Christian Chameleons

 





As a teacher and administrator for the past thirty-one years, I have learned the powerful messages that are hidden within the pages of children's literature. Even as an adult, I identify with the character in Eric Carle's book, The Mixed-up Chameleon. It's the story of a young chameleon who just wanted to be like everyone else. So, unsatisfied with who he was on a particular day, he took on the likeness of every animal he met. Satisfied for a while, he later realized he had assumed the characteristics of so many different animals that he could no longer find himself.

As believers in Jesus Christ, isn't this our story at times? We come to believe it is permissible for something or someone other than God to shape our character. In doing so, we become Christian chameleons and compromise our convictions for comfort to be like the rest of the world. Staying true to our convictions and beliefs nowadays is tough to do! The world cries out to us through media, music, literature, and even those we are in contact with daily. A subtle message permeates us through influences that say we need to change, get with the times, be more tolerant, and justify what society says is acceptable.


Adopting a worldly view is an almost certain way to not be in sync with God's view and direction for our lives. Standing for truth is like a wrestling match between truth and falsehood. The fight is not quick but rather a slow fading of the values that once produced firm conviction and direction. It's an erosion of the heart that was once in tune but chooses to cross over the line - to compromise. It is an indifference brought on by the hard knocks of life not given to the Lord and the notion that giving in is less painful. It's like a race, and as truth slides across the finish line, the white flag of surrender raised, yields compromise, not peace or sound direction. Before we know it, like the poor little chameleon, we no longer know who we are or what we stand for.


In the book of 1 Corinthians, chapters 15-16, the word of God reminds us that it is not a new problem but rather an old one; the early Christians of Corinth, like us, battled ideals, practices, and beliefs that did not align with the word of God. God's answer to what we should do is the same now as it was then. Truly a timeless response.


Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.


1 Corinthians 15:58



Father,

Please guard my eyes that I may not take them off the truth,

Guard my ears so that I may discern the intent of messages given to me by others.

Guard my mouth so I may not use words that hurt but heal.

Guard my mind that I may keep pure thoughts and sound reason.

Guard my heart, dear Father, that I may always be attentive to your direction.


Amen

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for visiting. I welcome your comments!

Popular posts from this blog

The Day I Met Irene

She walked into my classroom at the beginning of the school year with a "don't try to patronize me attitude that was written across her chubby little face." There was a bit of aloof strolling in her step and some deliberate swinging of her less-than-neatly braided pigtails that were nothing short of a mess. I took a deep breath and thought, "I've got my work cut out for me with this one!" It wasn't the first time I had been entrusted with a gift that carried so many hurt disappointments and scars that the resolve was not to let anyone get remotely close to them. Yet even though this was not the first time I had encountered a child like this, each time, it seemed like the first time. How would I reach her? How would I get through to show her potential and, even more so, her worth? The thought of the work this would require making even the tiniest entrance into this child's heart was almost overwhelming. Her hardened emotional shell would be tough to c...
1 comment
Read more

When People Make Life Hard

"Well, are you going just to stand there or do something?" It was my first year of teaching, and I had learned quickly that the cafeteria was a no-talking zone for anyone. Students were expected to enter in silence, eat in the same manner, and exit without a word. So, staring at the horror on the child's face, the disapproval of my principal, and my feet surrounded by the mess on the floor, from the dropped tray, I froze. It didn't appear that either of us would experience any mercy. Sometimes, people just make life hard. It's not a new problem; it's an ancient one. Exodus chapter 5 has much to say about the perils of dealing with difficult people. In this chapter, the Israelites are enslaved people in Egypt under a Pharaoh who is quite a taskmaster and knows nothing about his slaves except that they can make many bricks every single day. Things get pretty ugly when Moses and Aaron are sent to free the Israelites from their bondage. Pharaoh had no intention o...
1 comment
Read more

When Life is Puzzling

  When it comes to puzzles, some people seem to place each piece with ease and confidence. Others… not so much. I fall into the second category. I try, but spatial awareness is not my strength—not even close. Isn’t life like that sometimes? There are seasons when the pieces seem to fall into place effortlessly. And then there are moments when we search endlessly for understanding, turning situations over in our minds, trying to make sense of what feels incomplete. The longer we look for answers, the more frustrating it can become when clarity doesn’t come quickly. When life feels puzzling—when something seems broken, unfinished, or unclear—God’s Word gently offers us a small but powerful word: trust. It’s a simple word, one we hear often, perhaps so often that we underestimate its depth. Yet when applied to our lives, trust has the quiet ability, in God’s timing, to fill the spaces where understanding is missing. This is not an attempt to over-spiritualize life’s difficulties. ...
Post a Comment
Read more