I’ve been excluded from conversations, refused conversations and left midway in conversations because people thought I was too rigid or close minded to understand what they were saying.

I think it’s been my biggest hurdle as a believer, finding that balance between upholding the standard that is Christ and putting myself in my brothers shoe to maybe understand their perspective.

And I need you to understand that a lot of times, the perspective is not one that is outrightly wrong or evil, often it’s just perspectives that are in the grey spectrum and neither black nor white, making it harder for the person to understand my biblical stance regardless.

This has taken me through seasons of questioning if maybe I needed to be more understanding and accommodating of varying views that may not be biblical (even though not wrong) and also even seasons of questioning if this was a dimension of self righteousness or pride in some sort. It’s made me go crying to God because I don’t have the answer, I’ve never claimed to.

I’ve had moments where I’d be talking on an issue through the lens of the bible and people have said to me “Rubie, you don’t have all the answers”, even though I believe that the bible does, or at least could lead us to it.

I was speaking to my friend last night and she could relate, it made me feel slightly better, knowing I didn’t struggle in this alone, and just maybe there are more Christians, constantly questioning their ‘life view flexibility’ and made to feel myopic for holding only the view of the bible.

At first, I thought being concerned about this was giving credence to the voice and approval of the world, but another part of me thought that maybe it might be a hindrance to my reaching lost souls and maybe a hindrance to a “full” view of life?

I don’t know.

So I’m often brought back to the same end of this thought process before I get distracted by something again; do I pretend and let people off the hook in conversations even when I have opposing biblical views? Or do I share my views and accept my myopic and you-think-you-have-all-the-answers tag?

Here’s answers from the same person who’s written the above paragraphs:

1. I don’t think the standard of Jesus was intended to be described as liberal, flexible or understanding. I don’t think the bible was written to accommodate all views, even in the grey issues and I definitely don’t think that myopia was Gods intention in inspiring the bible.

2. I’ve come to see that often, it’s the things that pertain to holiness and consecration that are often caught in these conversations. People just can’t accept the standard of consecration required and so we debate it out with our varying views until the bibles view looks fanatic and extreme.

3. Maybe not everyone was meant to hear the gospel from Jesus himself? Maybe some would’ve only believed hearing it from Peter, or James or Paul or even Rahab? I think those who don’t receive the gospel from me don’t have to be a reflection of my view on things, but maybe a realisation that just maybe they’re still yet to meet the person whose method of delivering the gospel will cause the transformation that comes with Gods word.

4. What if our (believers) feeling of being too rigid or maybe even self righteous is important to taking us back to the foot of the cross and keeping us there to protect us from the result of self righteousness and pride? Maybe it’s good that every now and again we have these thoughts.

5. What if there needs to be a few of us, more rigid and ‘less understanding’ than the rest, cause if we were all liberal, just maybe we’d be calling sin borderlines liberality.

I think, what I’m just saying is that Jesus knew exactly what He did making Himself the standard and asking us to go in same path. It’s fine that not everyone will understand that, fine that we’ll be left out of conversations because of it, but at the end of all of it is living in obedience to Gods mandate over our lives and allowing the world see Jesus (love, care, compassion, mercy, forgiveness), even through the rigidity and ‘myopic’ life views.

Maybe there’s nothing wrong, or maybe there is. I’ll let Gods spirit unravel the truth in me.

Let me in on your thoughts through this read?