31 Days: Why the Title?

One of the things I went around and around about the most the last 3 months was a title. What was I trying to accomplish by writing? What was my point, really? Again, I found my inspiration on facebook (what can I say?). I noticed an interesting post one day with a long string of comments. The gist of the post was this: the lady (a Mennonite) was with friends and being introduced to a new person. They gave her name and said, "She's Mennonite, but she's cool! You know how when you see Mennonites at the store and you walk the other way? She's not like that." The concensus was that Mennonites are scary but this lady was a real person. She was asking for input as to what others thought of this.

She got quite a lot of input on that post but one comment grabbed my attention. Here's part of the comment: "There are lots of well dressed Mennonites who don't have a clue what they believe, and even more who are losing every scrap of appearance of Mennonite possible. And, lots of "good" looking Mennonites who swear, speed, flip people off, cheat on their spouses, etc. After all, what makes a Mennonite a Mennonite? ....if you see they have manicured yards, perfect flower beds, georgous handmade clothes, well behaved children, huge home cooked meals, own their own businesses and all the other things typical of Mennonite practices, you can bet they have their missing links..... I don't make a very good Mennonite. I just dress the part. My children fall apart in Walmart, and I avoid flower beds and I follow traffic laws. My aim is to live the life Jesus wants me to. Right now that's attending a Mennonite church......"

The last two sentences grabbed me. What really does make a Mennonite a Mennonite? Is it the trademark things that clearly point us out as such? Or is it the aim to live the life Jesus wants us to?