Ambassadors

The best argument for Christianity is Christians: their joy, their certainty, their completeness. But the strongest argument against Christianity is also Christians-when they are sombre and joyless, when they are self-righteous and smug in complacent consecration, when they are narrow and repressive, then Christianity dies a thousand deaths. But, through it is just to condemn some Christians for these things, perhaps, after all, it is not just, though very easy, to condemn Christianity itself for them. Indeed, there are impressive indications that the positive quality of joy is in Christianity-and possibly nowhere else. If that were certain, it would be proof of a very high order.

From A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken, 85. This is a thought he recorded in a journal before his conversion. The quote is interesting to me for a variety of reasons. Lord help me to exude grace.