when my husband is talking to someone with even the slightest accent, he starts speaking with their accent. it is all i can do to not bust out in laughter when i hear my very southern, very Texan husband begin to speak with British accent undertones, add a little Spanish flair to his pronunciation, or start to sound like someone from the movie Fargo.
it depends on the person he's speaking with. when i call him on it, he says he doesn't even realize he's doing it, but that perhaps he does it subconsciously so that the other person can understand him better. like a chameleon, he wants to blend in with his surroundings.
i was laughing (quietly, to myself) about this the other day when i overheard my husband on the phone with someone who must have been in New York.
and then it hit me. there's a different type of chameleon that isn't so laughable.
these chameleons are in church every Sunday, clutching their perfect bibles, smiling and greeting their friends. they are at the prayer meeting on Wednesday, folded hands, encouraging friends to "have faith" and "trust God." but on Monday, they were belittling their spouse, throwing a tantrum over something so small, throwing love and faith out the window. on Tuesday, they were gossiping with the hairdressers, sharing rumors and feeling empowered by secrets. on Thursday, they were complaining about feeling sick, claiming to be "catching everything this season," and planning for being under the weather this weekend. on Friday, they cashed their paycheck and went straight to buy the latest trendy shoes of the season or a bigger HD whatever.
chameleons. blending in with their surroundings. claiming the promises of Christ in one setting, living a worldly life in another.
changing their accents to match whomever their speaking. changing their words to say what they think the people around them want to hear. changing their colors, their attitudes, their actions. adapting to their environment. a faithful Christian here, but no sign of believing God's promises there. conforming to the culture. morphing their morals, even if just temporarily.
blurring their faith.
i pray it isn't me. i pray my faith is strong. apparent. in every situation, in every place i go, every day of the week, with everyone i'm with. my faith is written in Sharpie marker, not dry-erase or sidewalk chalk. i pray my faith transforms my surroundings, and i do not conform. i pray my accent is heard by God. i pray my colors never change.
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Romans 12:2, The Message, says:
"...Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."
ok, God. my attention is on You! bring out the best in me! i am NOT a chameleon.
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