In my early and mid-twenties, I thought that if I did enough good deeds and abstained from activities that took my mind off of my faith and purpose, that I would be rewarded with everything that I desired. That is what the bible says, right?
Well, as I'm learning, not exactly.
Reading partial scripture and focusing on verses that aligned with what I wanted is what I did for years. It wasn't until I became intentional about self-searching that I found out I had an entitled mindset.
Believing in God doesn't mean that all of the pain in your life will magically dissolve, or that you will never encounter hardship. Having a spiritual relationship means that you'll have enough faith to sustain you in the storm. Here are a few common misconceptions about being a Christian that I'd like to clear up for the whole class:
Being A Christian Doesn't Mean You've Arrived
We are all imperfect. Please read that sentence again.
I have a feeling you didn't reread it so I'll type it again, we are all imperfect. Hopefully, we are growing in wisdom everyday. We are developing our character with each choice and encounter we make.
It's easy to judge others by our strengths or when we meet them during one of their worst seasons in life. It's easy to gossip instead of praying for them or getting to know them to potentially be a support system with no malicious intent.
"Church hurt" is a real thing.
I've seen it firsthand and I can understand why some people never return and despise it. We aren't always the best public relations agents for Christ. We can misrepresent the message and the mission. But I can't stress how important grace is. To my previous point, we are all imperfect, and we all have room to grow.
As we grow, we have to be careful not to shade others and dim the fraction of light they begin to experience as they sprout from their dark places. No matter how great we think we are, we've been the villain in someone's narrative.
Had others known us at our darkest season, they'd have a different story to tell and they'd be judging us too.
Featured image by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
