Last week, I shared a story about talking out loud to myself, and realizing I was still wearing a clip-on microphone. I reflected on our inclination, as Christians and as people, to hide our internal dialogue and remain anonymous. Here are my final thoughts on the problem this presents:

The Problem of Anonymity

There are many people who wish to remain anonymous Christians for the sake of not being deemed a hypocritical fraud. This especially prevents us from using our voices to spread the faith. How can I sit here and tell someone else that the way they are living is wrong, when I am so profoundly aware of my own shortcomings and sinful nature? The simple answer to that is that there have only been and only ever will be two sinless Christians in the history of the world, and you will never be one of them. Everyone else who has shared the Gospel by their words and actions has experienced that same resistance, but they chose to press forward despite the inclination to remain quiet.

The fear of being mic’d up, and of losing our anonymity, is that people will hear what you say. It sounds funny, but it’s really that simple. There are two problems with this I wish to dissect.

The first problem of anonymity is we can remain in it even when we shouldn’t and cater to the simple fact that we care far too much about what other people think about us. When I was in that bathroom in Texas fearing that my mic was turned on as I spoke to myself, it wasn’t because I had taken the Lord’s name in vain or said something obscene. I was just being regular, funny Nathan. A lot of times we hide what makes us most relatable and loveable from the world. It takes courage to be who you truly are. It also takes courage to go through the pain of allowing God to reveal and refine who it is that you are, and who you are meant to become.

Putting too much stock in the opinion of others often manifests itself in selfishness. Some people call it being a people pleaser, while I just think it’s self-serving and cowardly. We become frozen with fear in situations when we need to speak up or act in order to do the right thing. Prioritizing our own overly sensitive pride over someone else’s well being starts to become the norm. Can you imagine? We actually will sit back and allow others to suffer the loss of Christ in this life and possibly the next because we are afraid of how they might receive us. All this despite the fact that Jesus Himself delivered the MOST truth with the MOST love in the most selfless ways possible and they crucified Him for it. SPOILER ALERT:  it’s supposed to entail dying to self and subsequent suffering.

The second problem of anonymity is that we forget that what we say and do makes a difference. In some ways, a 24/7 lapel microphone would be a blessing. We grossly underestimate the influence that we have in this world. One of my favorite Matthew Kelly quotes is “you only see 10% of the impact that you have.” That applies equally to both the positive AND the negative impact that you leave on this world and on the lives of other people.

Whether you realize it or not, you are mic’d up all the time. It doesn’t matter if you want it that way or if you like it. The things you think, say, and do impact the world around you in ways you won’t likely come to fully understand in this lifetime. Someday, though, I believe that your impact, both good and bad, will be revealed to you. Choose today to make the score lopsided in favor of positive influences. And even if you must fail in doing so, always strike out swinging the bat with all you’ve got.

This reflection is a part of Seeking Excellence's EXODUS 90 series, which took place in the months leading up to Easter.