Wood and Nails

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                High school  had its share of strange eras.There was the era of the flower headbands, the era of the neon colored weave, and the era of  Adidas sweatpants. There was also the sudden wave of Islam that took place predominantly among black males. Wearing a Taquiyah (cap worn by some men of the Islamic  faith) or a long garment was a normal sight. Some people wore it for fashion, while I observed that others were actually quite devoted, and I mean REALLY devoted. Try, praying between classes, underneath the stairwell. That definitely is hard to avoid when you are trying to fly to third period Trigonometry.
         The question is not "why were these Muslims so bold?" The real question is "why are Christians of nowadays so ashamed?" Now, I am not saying that every christian should be some crazed fanatic or "Jesus freakazoid" ,( unless that's your type of thing, then by all means, go ahead). I am saying that we should not be afraid to even reference our God slightly. If people can go on suicide missions because they believe they are pleasing their God, we should be able to say God bless you to someone without feeling so queasy.
        To be  frank though, Jesus is the most controversial celebrity on the planet.  80 percent of people can agree that there is a God. However, when Jesus' is mentioned it's like a verbal world war III starts.  Some say he was a prophet, some might even go as far as calling him a Demi-god, and others acknowledge him as God in the flesh.
       Senior year, I made a presentation, and one of the parents that came to the symposium was really impressed. While I was sharing my college plans, she said something along the lines of "Jesus will direct you" and she immediately took it back because she felt she had offended me.  All I could say was ," no, I'm not offended, I know what you mean". That incident really made me think. Have Christians really become that scared that they can't even express themselves freely outside of church?
      We profess to be free in Christ and to have freedom of expression, but there is no freedom in having to lock up your beliefs behind  bars. I think from now on we should just be ourselves, that means being Christians wherever we are and not feeling like we have to switch cloaks. I know it is easier said than done, but it's up to us to  be the sweet aroma of Christ in all that we say and do. He even said," if you are ashamed of me, I will be ashamed of you in front of my father in heaven". It's a wake-up call that there is no room for compromise. After all, where would be if Jesus compromised the wood and nails, for something soft and cuddly?