I had a discussion a few days ago with a friend about edifying relationships and he mentioned something about encouraging people by pointing them towards Christ.
"What does that even mean? How does that play out?" I asked.
Prior to this conversation, I don't think I ever thought too critically about what "pointing someone towards Christ" meant. It is a phrase that is used a lot, and can perhaps be thrown around casually because it sounds truthful and is supposed to make people feel better. And without some meditation on the meaning, it can easily end up becoming a set of empty words.
My instinctive answer was relational: pointing someone towards Christ means showing them that Christ is (and should be) their most beloved, their priority, and their sole source of salvation and security. When something bad happens, depend on Christ. When something good happens, praise Christ. When life is ordinary, love Christ. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, right?
But I really liked my friend's answer: pointing someone towards Christ is not just about showing them Christ and telling them to look at Christ, but also about helping them move towards Christ by growing in holiness and becoming like him. We can look at something beautiful and admire it, but it's so much more powerful when it changes us. We should definitely adore Christ, but there is also much growth to be had.
Good stuff! Challenges me to be intentional, and helps give me a more practical idea of what "intentional" means. Yup, totally defining one Christianese word with another.
(Heh... I also chose to write about this conversation because it's kind of amusing how it highlights the differences between male and female brains. My answer was about relationships and his was about doing things.)
