Steady

I recently posted about my experience with See You at the Pole in high school. And before I posted that, I was talking with someone at work about the persecution we went through in those days. She was particularly struck by the fact that people stoned us.

"How did you stand firm in your faith in that kind of environment?" she asked.

"Well, I'm kind of a go-against-the-crowd kind of person," I replied. "I found it a lot easier to stand firm in my faith there than I did at Wheaton, where everyone was a Christian. In high school there was no wishy-washy faith. You were either all in, or all out."

Ever since I graduated, I've spent most of my time in all-Christian environments. Christian college. Working at a church. Working for a Christian company. And it's definitely put my faith to the test. Some people wonder if they're strong enough to hold their ground in faith when they face opposition. I've had to see if I'm strong enough to hold my ground in faith when there's not opposition. When I don't need to stand out and shine Jesus' love, because everyone around me is at least presumed to be a Christian. (And within a few months of being in that infamous Wheaton bubble, I found it really hard to even talk to someone who wasn't a Christian.)

They say the church is thriving in countries where Christianity is taboo. And the church is dying in this "freedom of religion" country. I think it's because being a Christian in a persecuted environment makes you really think about what you're doing, and whether it's worth it. You can't just say you're a Christian or go through the motions and not really be one—because that's definitely not worth the risk, whether it's being stoned at a school flagpole or being put to death.