Putting on Our Christian Clothes

When one of our grandchildren was in Kindergarten, he attended a private Christian school.  He loved the school and even enjoyed wearing the uniform required of all students.  We would pick him up sometimes, and his mother always provided clothes for him to change into so that he could keep his school clothes clean. One day, we did not have a change of clothes and he said, “I really need to change out of my Christian clothes.”

I admired his desire to keep his uniform clean, but this caused me to think about the way that many of us experience Christian discipleship.  We tend to think of discipleship has only impacting certain parts of our lives, so we can put on and take on Christian living at will.  

I have been in conversations with adults, even church leaders, who have a very limited view of discipleship.  When they use the term “discipleship,” they are thinking of Bible reading, prayer, church attendance, and evangelism.  They concentrate on this practices that are clearly “Christian” in nature.  They fail to see that discipleship encompasses all that a believer does.

The ways that we use our finances, do our secular work, relate to our families, and spend our leisure time are all impacted by the fact that we are Christian disciples.  We don’t put on and take off discipleship, but we wear it all the time.

Another way to think of this is that being a discipleship is not a job, it is a lifestyle.  We are not “on the clock” when it comes to following Christ.  He is part of lives when we get up in the morning, during the day, and when we lay down at night.

We wear our “Christian clothes” all the time.  This means that they may get a bit dirty in the experiences of life, but Jesus expected that to happen.  Being a disciple is not a nine to five responsibility; it is 24/7.