Curious Christian

Lately I’ve been thinking about how easy it is to confuse boldness with pride.

It’s tempting, especially in theological conversations, to believe that being right is the same as being righteous. That strong convictions require strong words.

But I keep returning to Jesus.

Yes, he flipped tables. But he also wept over cities. He preached with authority, but he also knelt to wash feet. He called out hypocrisy, yet he dined with the very people others dismissed.

I wonder how often “zeal for truth” is actually insecurity dressed up as conviction. How often “holy anger” is just ego hiding under a fig leaf of Scripture. 

I have to ask myself:  Does what I’m saying sound like Jesus?  Does it carry the weight of love, or just the heat of my frustration?  Am I seeking transformation, or just trying to win?

Paul said, “If I have all knowledge…and have not love, I am nothing.”  That hits harder when I remember it’s possible to be theologically brilliant and spiritually bankrupt.

The Spirit’s fruit includes gentleness, patience, and kindness.  If those are missing from my voice, then I’m not defending the gospel, I’m just defending myself.

So today, I’m asking God to refine my fire. To help me speak truth without becoming a hammer.  To trade aggression for humility, and pride for the mercy that looks like Jesus.

Because in the end, I don’t want to be known for being right.  I want to be known for being Christlike