day no. 16,952: walk this way; talk this way

“You could see that they were ready to be friends with anyone who was friendly and didn't give a fig for anyone who wasn't." — C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Horse and His Boy

Christianity is cordial. It looks for peace. It is ready and willing to fight, but not looking for one. It doesn't need tension, but it isn't afraid of it. Christianity is established in the grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It fights for peace and has fun doing it, but does not fight merely for the fun of fighting. It looks to get along where it can, when it can, with whom it can. 

1 Corinthians 9:22

To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

Christianity doesn't stir up trouble where there is none, but it does confront troubles where they are. There are some things, after all, that a Christian cannot do and will not become: a denier of Christ, for example. But there are many things a Christian is free to get along with. Christians are not required to be hard to be around, but they must be willing to be difficult, if and when it comes to that.

Matthew 12:30

He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

Those in Christ and those outside of Him really are on different sides. You are either with Him or opposed to Him. All roads do not lead to favor with the One at the Father's right hand. So, we should acknowledge the antithesis without exaggerating it. We are free to smile at anyone who is smiling without worrying that we're condoning their motives for doing so. We can be reasonable with those willing to be reasonable, even if their reasons are different than ours. But we must always be willing and able to defend our reason for being so charitable.

1 Peter 3:15

Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.

The world should be able to see our hope in the way we walk down the street, but we must be ready to articulate our hope without soft pedaling it and not give a fig for anyone who takes offense to the way Christians walk.