I work in an office with about 20 other women, and they affectionately call me "the bible lady". A few of them are Christians, most are not, although there has never been any conflict between us, which I am so grateful for. I am never one to back down from or sugar coat my beliefs, but neither do I judge or criticize others for their choices. We respect each other, and I love that.
So, I asked them what about me they think makes me fit my 'label'.
The most common type of response, although stated differently by each, is the peace they see in me. One put it that 'no matter what happens, you just don't get flustered about it. All we hear is '"the Lord's got it in His hands"' - accentuated with 'air quotes'.
(how cute - they may not all believe it, but they hear it - isn't God good?)
I have had many things happen in my life over the last year. Just to name a few, I had my identity stolen with more than 20 checks written illegally in my name, we needed to find a new place to live due to our landlord's legal issues with the city (and that new place had to be in an area where my autistic son's school program would not be affected), my mother's lease ran out and she had not yet received her approval for an elder care high-rise, and my office at work announced a move to an off site building which would impact my ability to be available for my son should he need me.
With each situation, they would ask me, again and again, 'how can you be so calm', ' what if things don't work out', etc. But I knew that each time God gave me scripture to stand on when I took the situation to my knees and surrendered it completely to Him. I didn't always know what the answer would look like, but I always trusted that He was in control.
For me, the term Christian perfection leads not to me being perfect (ask anyone who knows me well, and they will tell you I am not), but in that perfect trust that comes because we are aware that He is present with us
through every step we take, and we can walk through this life together because of His redemptive sacrifice.
This knowledge in turn impacts all we do in regards to the things you listed in your question, all of our actions and reactions, because we are being lead by the Spirit, not by our own 'humanness'. That doesn't mean we never make mistakes, never stray from where the Spirit leads us, but it means that we are always in His grip, and He lets us know quickly when we are out of His will, and how to get back on track.
BTW - after months of police assistance, all the checks were written off to theft and removed from my credit report, my mom's application came through 1 week before her deadline and we got her moved in time, we found a new home right across the street from her about a month later, and just this week I was asked by my boss to consider a different job that would place me both closer to home and the same distance from my son's school as before
God is good ~ all the time!!!
