Not WHAT or HOW MUCH but WHO! - Pt 4 – Opinions & Character

In the latter days of Piper’s and my courtship, my mother would occasionally ask me about my decision to leave the Catholic church and follow in my soon-to-be wife’s footsteps with the Baptist Church.  I tried my best to explain what I was feeling and all the things that were being stirred up inside of me, but it just didn’t seem to make sense to her, and while she and my Dad always supported my choice, I could tell that she was a little sad about it.

One time we talked about the sacraments of the Catholic church and how special they were to her… and then she stumped me when she stated “But how could you not want to have the last rites and a beautiful Catholic funeral service at the end of your life.”

Like I said, that question took me by surprise and I had to think about it.  After a few days though, I came to realize that I had learned enough at that point in my fledgling Christian walk, to understand that the events and/or trappings of religion were of much less value to me than my slowly deepening, personal relationship with the head of the church… ie; Jesus Christ.  In Ephesians 1:22, Paul explained that, “God has put everything under the control of Christ. He has made Christ the head of everything for the good of the church.” (God’s Word ©)

I’ve learned a lot over the years since that time, but at that point, it looked to me that my family’s Catholic upbringing had trained us to place the liturgy of the Catholic church at the same level… or maybe even higher than the truths of the Bible… especially since we were not taught to read the Bible on our own, but to listen to the priest’s whose job it was to interpret the sacred teachings to us.  When I attended Bible College, I had an interesting class on church history that helped me to understand how and why the Catholic church had developed their tenants of faith.

Not to sound like a broken record (to those of you who even know what that means…), but my girlfriend, fiancé and eventually wife, was a living, breathing example of her Christian faith.  She didn’t just believe in and attempt to live her life according to a set of written standards, but had integrated her personal relationship with Jesus Christ into everything she did.

Up until the time we got together, I always strived to live what I considered to be a good life according to what my church taught… but there were always times when I felt that other people’s opinions of me and my actions were more important than God’s.  After all… they were right there with me in the present.  I had to live with them… and as far as I knew at that time… God was up in heaven occupied with much more important things than watching over me!

But my special girl’s daily life example, began to unhinge many of my long held mis-beliefs!  One time that I’ll NEVER forget was when we had gone to a movie one weekend in our SRJC days.  About half way through the movie there was a scene where one of the main characters starts getting, shall we say, very friendly with a gal and at one point began to remove some of her clothing.  I wasn’t really comfortable with what was unfolding in the scene, but hey… we were literally sitting in the middle of the theater surrounded by a full house of movie goers… so I figured that somehow it would be okay. 

But NOT with Piper… she immediately leaned over and said “I want to go!”  I looked over at her like she was crazy and told her that we couldn’t just leave in the middle of the movie (thinking that it would be way too embarrassing), but she just repeated herself and said “I want to go!”  Then I did the smart thing and started to get upset, again, thinking how silly we would look… but in an instant, my whole world flipped upside down when she looked me in the eye and started crying right then and there in the middle of the crowed theater.

Well… I didn’t need to be told THREE times and (feeling like a TOTAL fool because I had let her down and caused her to get hurt) I took her hand, stood up and proceeded to climb over everyone seated to our left as we made our way to the aisle.  I am not exactly sure what happened after that, but obviously we talked through it, and I apologized profusely for being selfish and more concerned about what other people might think of me, over my wonderful girlfriend’s feelings.  (and it must have worked because she didn’t leave me alone and walk the short distance to her home!)

That night taught me a lesson that I would ALWAYS remember!  A lesson not only about putting her needs first as well getting an upfront and personal view of the character of person she was, but also of the character of person that I wanted to become as a Christian man.  A man whose faith in God and the truth of His Word was more important to me than people’s opinions of me!

Where do you stand when it comes to other people’s opinions of you and the way you conduct your life vs the way that God and His Word say to conduct your life?  Whose opinion of you is more important.  One of my currently favorite verses that I have been beginning and ending my day with since my Piper’s promotion to heaven, is found in the first part of Proverbs 3:5 in The Passion Translation of the Bible.  Here Solomon encourages us to “Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions…”  I then, like to take the liberty to add: “nor those of anyone else who disagrees with the Lord’s!” 

It has taken me quite a few years since that BIG lesson I learned in the early 1970’s with Piper at what is now called the “Summerfield Cinemas” across the street from the tennis courts at Howarth Park in Santa Rosa California, just around the block and down the hill from Piper’s parent’s home.  But I am at a point in my life NOW, where His opinion is the ONLY one that counts to me. 

How About you?