The Secret Language of Christians

January 5, 2010 | by archiveworldraceblogs

I’ve been training the last 8 weeks for a half marathon that I am running this upcoming Sunday. I always wanted to participate in a race, but after my knees started having problems a little over a year ago, I thought it wouldn’t be possible anymore. But with lots of time spent stretching, icing, and doing some rehab exercises, I’ve been able to get back into it pretty well. And I’ve really been enjoying being back!

 

Although I was replacing running with other forms of exercises, there’s just something special about waking up and starting the day with a morning run. Because of my busy schedule and the hot and humid weather in the Philippines, I usually do my jogging at 545am, most mornings I even have a front-row view of the sunrise!

 

 

 

There aren’t many people out on the roads with me at 545am. I usually see a few cars later on in my run, a handful of people sitting on the side of the road, I see the tricycle drivers lining up to bring people to work, and then I see a few other people who are out there exercising right alongside me.

 

This is how I came to realize that runners have their own special language! Sometimes it expresses itself in words: “goodmorning”/ “hello,” sometimes it’s a friendly wave, and other times it’s as simple as some eye-contact and a smile…. but within each of those there is more going on that just meets the eye…. beneath each form of “contact” what we are really saying is “good job”/ “way to get out
there this morning” / and most importantly, “i can relate to you”/ “we share something *important* in common/ “we’re not all that different from each other” etc…  In the 5 second interaction we share in passing, there is actually a lot being communicated! Running reaches across the cultural barrier, because when I acknowledge another runner and give a smile and a nod, we are actually connecting on deeper levels because of our shared passion for running.

 

 

And this is actually true for several other passions/hobbies/activities. When Harley motorcyclists pass each other on the road, they make the sign-language hand-sign for the letter “H” to each other. It’s a sign of comraderie and shared passion; it may just seem like a simple hand motion to you and I, but to them, it’s an identity and signifies something of importance.  It’s the reason why gangs get matching tattoos, why “clicks” in high school can be identified by their clothing, why little girls around the world are making and wearing “friendship bracelets”, and why high school football teams shave their heads together the night before a big game….

 

 

 

So the question that I’ve been pondering is … what about Christians? Do we have a secret language? When I’m walking on the street can I identify another Christian by the way they look/walk/talk/act? Or better yet, can people tell that I’m a Christian? The bible says it should be that way.

 

“By this, all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 13:35

“I have given them your word and the world has hated
them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.”

 John 17:14

 

“Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”

Philippians 2:2

 

To be honest, most of the time I feel like Christians enjoy competing more than anything else. Instead of the church working together, being ONE body with ONE mind and ONE love, we worry more about MY denomination, MY numbers in church, MY message, MY worship being BETTER than the church next door.

 

Maybe one day we will learn from the Harley motorcyclists, the gangs, the preteen girls, the high school clicks, the bicyclists and the runners… until then, maybe we should all wear the same shirt or something, or maybe a bright red bandana on our heads… otherwise I might just pass a Christian brother or sister and never even notice…