Apply Yourself

In grade school I was like many (most?) boys: a bit on the lazy side. Not that I was a bad student, mind you. I could have done better, though. Whenever my parents had their conference with my teacher, they usually heard some perspective like this: "John could do really well, if he would only apply himself."

Well, I finally did learn to apply myself - so some degree - by high school. My grades were good enough, and I had some measure of self-discipline. I found some gratification in doing well, and that helped prepare the way for college.

The first two years at college were within a fairly safe environment. The school was small, and the framework from which we were taught was from a Christian perspective. My biggest challenge, mentally, was a medical ethics course in which I learned to grapple with the gray areas of life. It was a stretch for me, and to this day I am still unsure as to where, exactly, the professor was trying to take us. My lessons in "applying" myself were paying off.

Transferring to another college had a more dramatic impact upon me, especially upon my spiritual life. An art school can be a very unsettling place to be studying! While I had some good friends, I struggled some with the perspectives of the professors and many of the students. The worldview I had adopted a few years prior when I became a Christian was challenged time and time again. I ran into people who were not just apathetic toward Christianity, but were downright hostile.

Through this, I learned the value of applying myself to the task of being a "real" person. The temptation to be an "undercover Christian" was great. Why subject myself to harassment, to ridicule for being so…rigid. As a follower of Christ, I might have been branded a radical, or an out-of-touch weirdo, or worse. I had a choice to make, and I thank God that I was able to choose well, not shrinking from my spiritual life but seeking to prod others to consider their own faith. Fortunately, I weathered those years pretty well, and, in fact, think that my faith was tempered well by the experience.

The apostle Peter wrote to a people of faith, mostly Gentile believers, who were weathering some difficult times. They were pressed by a culture that was not willing to accept their faith, and which persecuted men and women who claimed the name of Christ. They endured hardships for their spirituality. In his first letter, Peter encouraged his readers to prepare their minds for action. He encouraged them to hold fast, but to also "apply themselves" to real Christian living, which required action. Those who were suffering were called to act in a manner consistent with their beliefs, and this meant that they had to be forthright about their faith. This in spite of a society that rejected their deeply held beliefs.

Today there are many across the world who are suffering for Christ. They cannot shirk their duty, to proclaim their Savior and to live a life worthy of His name. These believers must apply themselves to leading exemplary lives despite a hostile environment.

While I was never the subject of persecution, I left that art school with a better understanding of those with differing theological viewpoints, with a heart for the person who rejects the faith altogether, with a desire to live a consistent and authentic life of faith. I am grateful for the time, and for the grace of God which led me to "apply" myself. And every now and again I wonder where some of those old friends are today.