The saying, "Too late smart and too soon old," certainly is one that transcends time and human experience. My youthful desire to be a witness for Christ caused friction between me and non-believers. Some of it was justified since I didn't think through the consequences of my actions.
From my soon-to-be-published memoir,
How I Was Razed, here is one instance where criticism of my witnessing was justified.
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While working at the smoke stand that summer, I discovered a new way to evangelize the customers. The Christian bookstore sold a collection of badges with slogans printed on them. I bought as many as I could afford, then wore several of them at a time on my shirt when I reported each day for work. Some customers mocked me but as far as I know, none gave their lives to Christ.
I assumed nobody would mind what I wore until Bob confronted me one afternoon at the shop several weeks later. "You're going to have to take those badges off, Bruce."
"What for?"
"Because religion offends some people. You'll have to stop wearing T-shirts too. It doesn't look neat."
"These badges aren't offensive. Besides that, I'm a Christian and I need to tell others about Jesus."
"Well, do that on your own time. You're paid to work, you know."
Though I hated Bob's order, he made a valid point. CNIB employed me so I needed to dress in a way which wouldn't repel customers. I stopped wearing T-shirts and badges on the job after Bob's warning. Instead, I pinned the badges to my coat. What I did off the job wasn't his concern.
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How I Was Razed is the testimony of how God lead me from cultism to Christianity. I hope to have it published soon. Meanwhile, check out my previous books at the Bruce Atchison's books link on my Blogspot page.
Awesome hair, Bruce! I am reminded of the old saying by St. Francis Assisi: Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.
ReplyDeleteI was asked by my company's Compliance Officer to remove a signature from my email that was a bible quote. She told me company emails were not the place to have things like that. I was offended, but removed the signature. Sometimes it's tough to see the line between personal space and time and business space and time. For example, if I were asked at work to remove or hide my necklace that had a cross, would I do it? After all, it IS at work. BUT, it IS on MY person AND it is a symbol of who I am to my core. Yes, it IS JUST a piece of jewelry, but my brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the history of The Church have been martyred for much much less. One man was judged and executed for simply kissing the feet of a new martyr, which declared to the authorities that he was a Christian. So...I guess we just take each moment and event as it comes to us and pray that we stay out of God's way enough so that The Holy Spirit can do what He does in those situations without our own flawed logic getting in the way.
In the United States, there is such a thing as freedom of expression, but even in this country, that freedom is compromised by employee dress codes and other regulations. I'm not offended by buttons or badges since I can't see them most of the time. What I won't tolerate is people asking me outright about my religious beliefs.
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