Exam Studying Postponed. Other Things Are More Important.

I just finished perhaps one of the greatest, most eye-opening conversations of my life with an incredible friend of mine a few minutes ago. We, both strong Christian women, got to talking about religion a little bit, what it's all about, what it may or may not entail. Indeed, before I begin here, I must boldly proclaim that I am an unshakeable believer in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I hold fast to Him each and every day of my life; He is my rock; He is my solace; He is my fortress; He is my hope; He is my guide; He is my best friend. There you have it. 

So, there we were (my friend and I), talking about this idea of faith and about our reason for living and about our pursuit of Christ - and then, about how heck this beautiful, seemingly perfect relationship with a selfless Savior does not appeal to everyone, why so many people are turned off by the Christian church. And then it hit us. WE are doing it all wrong. We, as the church of Christ, are doing it all wrong. We spend so much time trying to play up every potential weakness and difference and "wrong-doing" of those outside the church, as if, somehow, that might draw these people in and prompt them to surrender their lives to Christ. We fight battles that do not need to be fought, battles that could see their end with even a mere a twinkling of love's promise of beginning. And I hate to break it to you, but this is so unbelievably, grossly, devastatingly wrong. And as much as I wish I could change the perception of unbelievers and motivate everyone in the church to focus more on the people themselves than on their lifestyle choices or backgrounds or current beliefs, I cannot. But no way am I defeated. No way am I leaving it at that. No way will I be ashamed of something that I want everyone to experience for themselves.

You see, I'm not ashamed. Frankly, I know what I believe, and I know for a fact that it does not always line up with every last teaching of the church. And that's okay. It's about loving Christ so much so that He permeates every aspect of your life. Thus, judging is absolutely futile. It gets you nowhere. It's about recognizing the fact that you are loved beyond your wildest imagination, and in turn, letting others - regardless of choice or background or lifestyle - feel the exact same way. No way, no how is there such thing as being too accepting. That's called being like Jesus. It called altering lives - for the better. And it is a beautiful, mind-boggling, earth-shattering, hand-trembling thing that our finite minds are not meant to comprehend. And each and every day, I am becoming more and more okay with that.

P.S. Shout out to Jesus, the guy who loved everyone.