Christians Aren't Perfect!

I have read some comments today about how Christians that follow the teachings of Jesus are few and far between. I have lots of times heard about how Christians are under a microscope as to their behavior. And if a Christian commits adultery or curses or breaks some law, everyone else points their finger and says....'look at that person! See, this is how Christians act...good in church on Sunday and sinning the rest of the week.'

I would say that is such a false statement. Christians often can't even be 'good' in church on Sunday. We lie, curse, steal, hurt people we love, don't give enough of ourselves, don't spend enough time with our God...we fail in dozens of ways every day. If you were to go and ask a Christian (a person who has accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior and believe that by doing that they will be forgiven and gain admittance to Heaven) if they are perfect, they would laugh and say 'heck no!'

But we try. We try to better ourselves not just for ourself but for our God and for our fellow human beings. We try to squash petty thoughts we have, we try to follow the rules and laws of the land and of God, but we are miserable failures. It says in the bible if we even think something wrong we have sinned...it is a hard thing to do to control your every thought. Thank God, he forgives us for being the Human Beings he created.

I am curious how Christians came to be under this microscope. Perhaps it was our own fault...there are people in the past and currently who give off the impression we are somehow better than others. And for that I am deeply sorry because nothing could be further from the truth. But there is definitely something going on here, because I don't hear people talking about Islamic or Jewish or other beliefs in the same way. So if anyone has some ideas about this, I would like to hear them.

And while I am open to hearing about others beliefs, I want that to be reciprocal. I want others to be willing to hear what I have to say too. This can't be a one way street or nothing is gained.

Personally I have been in a long journey with God. I went from complete belief without reason when I was a child, then I went to church and went through the motions because that is what I was supposed to do and wanted to keep up appearances and keep in good with the Big Guy. I still believed, but it was an empty faith. Then I read through the bible for the first time in my late 20s...front to back and I was taken aback. There were things that didn't make sense to me. Things that I had questions about and I wondered...how can I be a Christian if I am asking questions? Won't God be mad with me? And worse, I am not a believer because all of this doesn't make sense. Where does that leave me?

But then I came through that period and realized that I didn't have to have answers to all of my questions. I don't accept everything in the Bible at face value. But I do find good lessons there and comfort. I am especially comforted that David, who was a murderer, adulterer and a complainer, was still one of God's favorites. What I found was a true faith after I came through this period. A faith that there is a higher being than myself and I call him God. A faith that he loved me so much that he sacrificed his only Son for my benefit. I try to read the Bible within the context of the time it was written and realize that the world we live in is different today but there are basic truths there that I can and want to live by. My moral compass. I have been through some devastating times in my life and God's love that was shown to me through other Christians were all that kept me from losing my mind. The tragedies I have lived through have made me a stronger person and maybe someday I can in turn help someone else.

I added the last couple of paragraphs in as I believe there are those readers who really have no idea of what Christianity is about. They have been on the outside looking in and judging. It is not a straight line, it is not an easy walk. Christians don't always get everything they desire, they are not better than anyone else. We don't miraculously become better people when we accept Jesus as our Savior. I have noticed changes in myself that have taken years to really come to my attention, but I am a different person than I was 10 years ago, and I hope to be a different person 10 years from now...a stronger person who is more of an asset to humanity.

Thanks for listening. God Bless!