The Convicted

Here is the kind of thing that can hit you no a dark plane right arriving late at night:

The president’s depiction of himself as Christ in a social media posting calls to mind those people who would more closely fit that qualification. I think about Senator John Ashcroft’s line from so many years ago: If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you.

If you believe in Christ you’ve no doubt met people who shine through with what you understand to be Christ-like love, charity, purity. Some of them may not even be believers. To witness that peace and grace is ruined by trying to fix it in words because that doesn’t do it justice. It is beautiful because whatever the faith of the person who displays these characteristics, it has the power to remind us who we are, what matters—and that this remains available to all of us. I write this as a Christian, but I know devout members of many other faiths who shine through like this.

I locate this feeling in my faith, which reminds me that for a lot of people, this isn’t abstract—faith is how they get out of bed, how they bury their parents, how they raise their kids. How they get through the dimming of the day. That’s not a meme.

I find these qualities overwhelming and their source out of reach sometimes, but even in my moments of greatest doubt I’ve always been drawn to the example of people who live their lives in sync with their beliefs to such an extent that you can see those beliefs shine through, and it makes you want to stand in that light.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​