Broomfield UMC

Bold Enough?

By Andrea Laser, abp818@gmail.com

 

A couple of weeks ago I was at a small party with mostly people I didn't really know. We were all chatting, telling stories, eating and drinking. One person started to tell a story by asking, "There's no one here who is super religious, right?"

 

I didn’t grow up in church and until the birth of my first child, my husband and I did not attend church. In four years this is the first time that someone I don’t really know has asked me about my religion. Before coming to BUMC, I would have immediately said “no.” I was always a believer, but never considered myself religious. Now that someone was asking (and in a tone that definitely indicated she hoped not), I quickly had to decide, “am I super religious?” If it means that I attend church, then yes. If it means that I love and accept Christ as my savior, then yes. If it means that I want to put myself out there to be judged for what I believe, then…maybe. I decided I should say yes, but what came out was a very careful, “I sort of am.”

 

I braced for an awful response that would make me defend my beliefs and how I interpret religion without sounding judgmental about how someone else is religious. It turns out that the story had very little to do religion, and I didn’t have to defend anything, but I did feel the need to question the storyteller about what it had to do with religion.

 

After I left the party, I started reflecting on the question and my answer. I felt in some ways like I had denied Christ and who He is in my life. While in some ways the quiet answer “sort of,” and questioning the ties between religion and her story felt bold, in other ways it felt cowardly. I started to think about the early disciples of Christ. Had they not been bold about what and Who they believed in, would I know Christ now?

 

Was I bold enough? Maybe. Maybe not. But the next time fear sets in about being bold, I will try to remember how Jesus reminded Paul, “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you…” (Acts 18:9-10).

 

Andrea Laser is a BUMC congregation member.

Originally posted on the BUMC Blog April 22, 2013.