People who are weak decide to take the easy way out, claim a belief in some man in the clouds, use him as an excuse to do or not to do things, and use him as an easy explanation when a more logical one doesn’t exist.
I used to think those things, I know people who still think those things. I used to make jokes about how Mary and Joseph really messed up by getting pregnant before marriage and this whole Bible thing was STILL the result of their coverup. I seriously used to say that and I was so wrong, like Saul turned Paul kind of wrong coming to the realization that this Bible thing is legit. I mean, he did terrible things that resulted in the death of many but sin is sin. I feel like I can write about why I was so far off at that time because I’m looking at that mindset from a different point of view now, as a different person even. If you are a person who thinks that way, I hope you will keep reading with an open mind.
I went to a Catholic college even before I was a believer. At the time, parts of that experience were difficult and annoying and felt silly and felt like all I could do was nod, smile, and try not to get called on in class. In my mandatory theology class, we were asked to come up with a project based on what we thought happened when we died. My end result? I drew a baby…becoming one with tree roots…and turning into a tree. To symbolize how we could become one with the earth and be reborn as a tree, nurturing the environment we used to live in. I wish I knew where that drawing was so I could show you. It was way beyond creepy and that was pretty much the one thing my professor and I seemed to agree on. Thank goodness you can’t really give a bad grade on an assignment like that.
So college wasn’t that long ago for me, I graduated in 2016 and was baptized later that year. But it wasn’t until late in my senior year that my beliefs started changing.
Who I am now knows that faith is not the easy way out. Real faith in God through Jesus is not just something you can fake or connect with at surface level to use to your advantage. The more you dive into it the more you are called to love unconditionally, forgive, serve, put other people before yourself, and acknowledge that yes…you are selfish by nature. Even though there are a lot of people in our world that only interact with this faith at the surface and don’t really follow through with the rest – I pray that those who think poorly of religion will someday know that real Christian faith, a real Christian heart, will act from a place of love and will not be like that stereotype you have stuck in your head.
I fall short of loving unconditionally often. But I feel it and I try to be better. Sometimes I don’t apologize for days…but I apologize. Sometimes I am quick to anger, but I think as time goes by my efforts to improve on that are slowly working. We are all always growing and we will never be perfect, but what separates a true Christian heart from the ways of the fallen world is that voice inside pushing us to be better, to treat people better, and to act from a place of love no matter what the circumstances may be. That is so incredibly difficult, but when it’s happening…it changes lives monumentally.
Being on this path does not mean you are never selfish, you never treat others poorly, or you never make mistakes. As a human being you are bound to struggle and we are guaranteed to face obstacles in this world. We will feel separated from people we were once close to, even unwelcomed by some, because the ways of this world are not in sync with the ways our hearts are striving to be.
It is not easy to feel distant from people you used to feel connected to, to trust in God’s plan when your current situation might be a pit of despair instead of celebration of success, or when your only option in that pit is to quietly pray and wait for God’s answer. It’s especially hard when God’s answer doesn’t fit with your timing or your choice of an easier solution.
So…for those that feel this belief is a crutch, something easy to lean on when someone feels unable to make it on their own, or a crazy idea that only someone who has lost their marbles could put their faith in…I would encourage you to consider:
-Authentic Christianity is simply (or amazingly) this: Loving God and loving others as yourself. If all of us in this world did that…we would be living in a world full of people that love and care about everyone else.
-Is it easy for you to respond with love to someone who has wronged you, offended you, or disagreed with you? It’s not, and it’s not for me either. But I’m sure at some point you’ve noticed that your negative responses or emotions caused a lot more damage to you in the long run than to that other person.
-Harboring feelings of hate and anger have a hugely negative impact on us as individuals, and on everything we come in contact with.
It takes a lot less energy and courage to feel angry and bitter toward the bad stuff. Pushing those things away or beating them down with harsh words is quicker. Processing those things, learning from them, and loving people through those things takes a lot more. It takes a lot of courage and trust to love.
In summary…faith is not a crutch for the weak. It is a challenge, a strength, and it is the only way to be any light in the world we live in. Not loving and caring about people unconditionally…only looking out for ourselves so we can “live our best lives”…that attitude our society has encouraged us to adopt is hurting all of us.
Love the Belly of the Whale 