Christian = Door Mat?

Written: February 25, 2021

As a Christ-centered, God-fearing Christian, how many times do we give people the benefit of the doubt? How many times do we say yes to picking up that friend from the airport? Once, twice? Every single time they ask? Dare we become their official Uber driver? Does being a 'humble loving Christian' mean we say yes to all that is asked of us? After all, doesn’t the Bible specifically say “honor one another above yourselves; serve one another; consider others better than yourselves; submit to one another.” We are called to serve, as Jesus said, “I have come not to be serve, but to serve.” So where do we draw the line? Are we fated to forever be taken advantage of; endure through abusive relationships for the sake of the Gospel?  This can’t be what God is saying, is it? 

Before we try and answer these questions, let's first recognize the perspective in which these questions spawn from. All of these hypotheticals revolve around one central subject - Me. Why else do these questions arise, when we hear how we are called to be servants? Immediately our pride kicks into high gear and we react with the thought ‘hey, what about me?’ Can we take a moment and admit that that’s where these retorts come from? The Bible is therefore correct in constantly repeating how we, humans, are so prideful, self-seeking, and ultimately evil. Constantly, we are haunted and obsessed with the thought of ourselves, our own well-being, our own benefit, our status, our own self-survival. Even asking, ‘when is enough, enough?’ is our way of seeking the bare minimum. What is the least amount of work I need to do in order for God not to be mad at me? (Self-survival) Which brings us back to us trying to achieve our relationship/salvation with God. It’s all about me and what I’m doing. We just want to be told the rites, the limitations, the rules, the deeds in order to feel ‘right’ by God. Our duties should satisfy Him. That is the whole reason why Christ came down because we CANNOT fulfill the Law/rules of life that were put upon us. We can’t even live up to our own personal expectations or virtue!

Christ coming down to die for us, ultimately what does that epitomize? It encapsulate the concept of Humility to it’s fullest definition. It is the greatest act of humility being lived out. A God, a most powerful being, denying his status to come down to His creation, not to rule over them, no, but further down - to die for them due to their ineptness. “Who by the very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing...” (Philippians 2: 5-9)

Practical Notes:

• Humility is not thinking less of your self, but thinking of your self, less. - C.S. Lewis
• Make it about the other person, so you serve whole-heartedly without expectations or a return-on-investment. 
• When things go awry or you start getting taken advantage of, the loving thing to do is to inform, not to belittle or correct in vengeance, but in love. You’re making it about them and their ultimate well-being. It wouldn’t be loving to allow someone to continue spiraling down into their toxic behavior destroying every relationship around them as well as themselves. So you correct, speaking truth in love. Not cutting them out, avoiding the conversation or them, or scolding them. What is that ultimately? That’s making it about you again. Self survival.
• Understand who the person is, why they behaved that way, and if they don’t  take it well or don’t change or apologize you can still forgive with love, knowing that you have been forgiven much, knowing that God loves them, knowing that a life of true humility and servant hood is one who seeks fulfillment purely and solely from God. So in the end it doesn’t matter what affect people have on you or how they impact you. You can forgive whether they apologize or not.
• Humility ultimately is death. Death to self. We like Christ have died to ourselves. But because Christ has conquered death we don’t have to be afraid to die to self. For when we die to self we are reborn and exalted through Christ. Born again. God the Ultimate now sees us pure. So who cares what others think. What they do or not do. We are born again as children of God, holy and unblemished. Therefore don’t hold onto yourselves, look to your death that brings true life, because Christ has conquered it. From that sense of identity can one finally serve those around them for the sake of serving and for the sake of love.

Personal Prayer: O God, there are things in me I still reserve in myself for myself. But Jesus you reserved nothing by denying yourself, coming down and dying for us. Thank you for loving me.