Out of Context

Have you ever overheard a conversation and only got a part of it? You heard the words but they just didn’t make any sense. The meaning of the words you heard, the way they were put together, and what you may or may not know about the people who are speaking all combine to take the words you heard and put them out of context. You’re not really sure what they are saying even though you recognize the words.

N. Ripperger, a father and artist, has created posters you can buy on-line with comments he has found himself saying to his kids. Looking at the posters with the sayings on them leaves the rest of us in the dark as to the context, but that’s what makes them so funny. For example: “Stop riding that penguin. We’re leaving.” Or “I am not talking to you…until you are wearing underwear.” Or “Get that toilet seat off your head. Now.”

Not being there or hearing the rest of the story of where the toilet seat came from, or what that penguin actually was leaves us to figure it out for ourselves – most often with images in our mind that are funny because it just doesn’t make any sense without the context.

I believe it is the same way with religious words and explanations. We’ve heard and maybe even used words and conversations like, Jesus saves; God so loved the world; The Bible says…; and one of my favorites, Christian values. And the out of context response comes back like this, Saves who from what or what from whom?  Really, with all this crime, war, disease, and global catastrophes? Who gave the last word to the Bible? What, only Christians can take care of the poor or fight injustice or do good things?

I believe this is what the apostle Peter was getting at in his letters to the church. He said that we have been called out of the darkness into his wonderful light so that we could show the goodness of God to the unbelieving people we live among (1 Peter 2). This is how to put it into context – your personal story, your testimony of the events of God working in your life. This requires relationship. This requires time. This is what he means by “show” others the goodness of God. That’s the difference between “show” and “tell.” Just telling allows the context to be foggy. Showing, on the other hand, allows context to be seen.

So the next time you share your faith or testimony with someone, be sure you are using your relationship and conversation in context so they can see the goodness of God in your story, or it may just turn out like Mr. Ripperger said: “Stop riding that penguin. We’re leaving.”