Pass It On

I spent a great deal of time sneezing yesterday, and the day before. Just allergies, nothing contagious. We all have, however, had to make that emergency run to the pharmacy when we were contagious, taking our germs with us.

Bad attitudes are contagious, mob mentalities are, too. A smile can be very contagious, just as an act of kindness can beget another act of kindness. Sometimes we do not even know we are spreading something around, good or bad.

While we do not choose to get the flu or spread it to our family, we have a lot of choice about that which we do share. Fear spreads like wildfire from parent to child, so does stress. Prejudices are contagious and are as deadly as any of the top ten diseases. Coping skills are even contagious; people ‘catch’ that to which they are exposed. Good habits are contagious, too.

I was listening to a women lament the treatment she was receiving from her ‘religious’ relative not long ago. Seems she was quite affected in a negative way by the legalism and judgment that infected the relative. While her relative was trying to insulate her from what was perceived as ‘bad’ for her spiritual health, the end result was overkill and ineffective to say the least. This started a train of thought on how people can influence or infect others with their faith in either a positive or negative way.

I want to be a contagious Christian and spread it to those around me. I cannot, however, push it down their throats as one might a big horse pill and expect them to embrace it with an open heart or mind. I can live out my faith as an example, taking a daily dose of Bible reading to boost my immunity to carnality. Those around us observe our behavior and attitudes and will be quick to notice if our words on Christianity do not line up with our actions.

My mother never sugarcoated what medicine would taste like. Paraphrasing a bit, she would say, “It tastes like poop but you have to take it anyway.” If we present the Christian lifestyle in such a way by our words and actions, it’s easy to understand why people wouldn’t want to ‘take it anyway’. Neither should we act as if it is all goodness and light, a cotton candy existence. Jesus tells us in Scripture we will have trials on this earth, expecting anything else is delusional.

 
To be a contagious Christian, to me, means to live my life in the peace and joy that only walking with Jesus can bring and facing trials with an expectancy of Him walking beside me, not insulating me in a bubble, but holding me up when I’m too weak to make it on my own. We tell others of medications that helped us but we do not buy it and sit on them until they give in and take it! Be wary of snake oil salesmen and religious zealots, for both push to persuade you with scary outcomes if you do not follow their ways. 

Me? I’d rather be that contagious Christian going about life spreading Jesus all around to those with which I come in contact. Spiritual healing is a wonderful thing to share.