The Perception Problem

I'm not sure why it is the case, but I have always seemed to be a social chameleon. I played sports in high school (basketball and baseball) but I was also in the band. I was the only person in the band who played any of the three most "popular" sports. I'm not sure why it was the case but I never seemed to take the grief that many of my friends in the band seemed to take from the "cool" kids. I wore the plumed hat and uniform just like everyone else in the band but I could still go to Gatti's after the basketball game with the jocks and cheerleaders. On the flipside, I was able to hang out with my friends in the band, listening to our mix tapes of Poison, Weird Al, and Michael Bolton without the whispers of "He thinks he is better than us" or "Look who decided to grace us with his presence."

I feel the same way today when it comes to my friends. I am just as comfortable sitting in my living room leading my christian friends in a Bible Study as I am listening to another friends' band at the Deerhead Tavern. Because of this, I've had some pretty candid conversations with my non-christian friends about their perceptions of the church, and while some of those perceptions may not be true, some are and all of them, true or not, are obstacles to them seeing Christ as He truly is.

Christ is suffering from a perception problem. Because of this, it is vital that I am open, that I am honest, and that I am real with my friends because I may be the one that He is using to begin to change the perceptions they have of Him. I don't want to magnify the problem, I want to be part of the solution.


Justin