It's been a while since I wrote a meaty post and this one has been brewing for a little while so I thought I should share. I've been reading this book entitled 'Stop Acting like a Christian, Just BE One.' The title immediately grabbed my attention as it reminded me of a rather life changing youth work book that for a time, I did not stop going on about called Contemplative Youth Ministry by Mark Yaconelli. It is all about 'being' in the moment with young people and preparing to dedicate long amounts of time to them as they grow. The role of the youth worker here is described as a supportive presence rather than a dictator. This is the type of philosophy I love and I will mention this again later.
Truth
Back to Christine Caine. What I love so far about her book is that she peels back the layers of Christianity - showing it as something that isn't just portrayed through our actions and choices but rather our heart attitude. This is very true. I think sometimes we look at each others actions such as drinking, smoking, swearing and start to question each others' 'walk with God' (which is a phrase we use too often!) instead of getting to know the heart attitude behind those actions.
One of my favourite ever CU meetings at Chester University will never leave my memory. I remember getting up and grabbing the mic because it was the first time I'd ever thought that this is what it should look like. That particular week people were sharing their hardships, hurts from the past, shedding tears etc. It was messy. But shouldn't it be like that all the time? When we share our hurts and hardships, we begin to open wounds, which will then in-turn allow the healing process to begin. In Church or at Christian gatherings, we should absolutely feel comfortable enough to be able to share what is really going on because we are a family! Families as you may know, are not always plain sailing! Church is not a place that we should go to on a Sunday with a well rehearsed smile and a preset answer of 'i'm fine' if deep down, you're really not.
Not only this, but we also tend to forget that just because we are Christians that does not by any means go to say that we do not make mistakes. I think we have a fear of showing our mistakes, and acknowledging that we will always make them. We get so caught up in 'appearing' to have it all together instead of being true to how our heart is really feeling and this has to stop.
Heart
I mess up all the time. As a student in recovery, sometimes I still accidentally drink just one too many cocktails. Sometimes, I am too quick to react which brings frustration without me knowing the full story. Sometimes I struggle to understand and accept other people's opinions if I think they are wrong. If you wake me up in a morning before I am ready to face the day - you will not get a pleasant response. There you go. Those are some parts of me that could do with some tweaking. But here's the thing. If I drink too much one time - does that mean my Faith is falling apart? If I'm getting annoyed at someone, should I lose my seat in Church? If I throw something at you because you wake me up (which I have never done haha!) have I lost my place in Heaven? Let's think about this.
When you begin to look past my actions, good or bad what does my heart say? You will find that my heart says thank you. Thank you God that even when I am bad, you are always good. Thank you God that even when my head and my heart are a mess you look upon me and see the child you created in love. Thank you God that no matter what I do, nothing will ever break the bond of love that you and I share. Christine writes:
'To keep our hearts alive and vibrant, we need to maintain an attitude of gratitude and thanksgiving. As Paul says, we must "Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]" (1 Thess. 5:18 Amp) Loving God with all our heart flows from a heartfelt gratitude to God for who He is and for all He continues to do.'
Life
Every day I am thankful for the Grace and Forgiveness poured upon me from God through Jesus. At the core of Christianity is the ache of God's heart for us to share this love that He has poured on us with those who do not yet know it. It is our duty to include everyone within that and not to promote a lifestyle that on the surface looks perfect with a heart that is not genuine. Our lifestyle is not supposed to be unattainable to those who do not follow it because the Church primarily exists for its non-members. When we talk about being 'in and not of' the world we must be careful because we cannot alienate ourselves and form an elite that 'have all the answers.' We cannot take ourselves out of our communities and separate ourselves from 'non-Christians,' rather we should be in the middle of it! We are just trying to make our way through life like everybody else is, with a few differences. We cannot create a Christian sub-culture that will reach to a far away country and not to our next door neighbour.
Love
It doesn't take a lot of searching to find that at the core of what we as Christians do should be motivation by the love of God.
The kind of love that I feel burdened to carry is one that waits. I know my journey to Faith took a long time to form and was not an instantaneous response like some. I took time to build up trust, to ask questions (as I still do as I think that is healthy!), to let down barriers and to believe that this was what I believed to be the truth. I therefore - as I mentioned earlier carry a philosophy that allows people to take time to decide whether Christianity is what they want to follow, to go off and make mistakes and one day return and enjoy speaking to people at length about what I believe and why and give them the space to do the same things. A relationship with God is like any other - it requires trust, time, effort, patience and honesty and I don't think all those things form over night. That is how I feel - you may feel differently but that is fine as the body needs all its parts to function so we all play a different role and have different ways of doing things such as Evangelism.
Truth
Back to Christine Caine. What I love so far about her book is that she peels back the layers of Christianity - showing it as something that isn't just portrayed through our actions and choices but rather our heart attitude. This is very true. I think sometimes we look at each others actions such as drinking, smoking, swearing and start to question each others' 'walk with God' (which is a phrase we use too often!) instead of getting to know the heart attitude behind those actions.
One of my favourite ever CU meetings at Chester University will never leave my memory. I remember getting up and grabbing the mic because it was the first time I'd ever thought that this is what it should look like. That particular week people were sharing their hardships, hurts from the past, shedding tears etc. It was messy. But shouldn't it be like that all the time? When we share our hurts and hardships, we begin to open wounds, which will then in-turn allow the healing process to begin. In Church or at Christian gatherings, we should absolutely feel comfortable enough to be able to share what is really going on because we are a family! Families as you may know, are not always plain sailing! Church is not a place that we should go to on a Sunday with a well rehearsed smile and a preset answer of 'i'm fine' if deep down, you're really not.
Not only this, but we also tend to forget that just because we are Christians that does not by any means go to say that we do not make mistakes. I think we have a fear of showing our mistakes, and acknowledging that we will always make them. We get so caught up in 'appearing' to have it all together instead of being true to how our heart is really feeling and this has to stop.
Heart
I mess up all the time. As a student in recovery, sometimes I still accidentally drink just one too many cocktails. Sometimes, I am too quick to react which brings frustration without me knowing the full story. Sometimes I struggle to understand and accept other people's opinions if I think they are wrong. If you wake me up in a morning before I am ready to face the day - you will not get a pleasant response. There you go. Those are some parts of me that could do with some tweaking. But here's the thing. If I drink too much one time - does that mean my Faith is falling apart? If I'm getting annoyed at someone, should I lose my seat in Church? If I throw something at you because you wake me up (which I have never done haha!) have I lost my place in Heaven? Let's think about this.
When you begin to look past my actions, good or bad what does my heart say? You will find that my heart says thank you. Thank you God that even when I am bad, you are always good. Thank you God that even when my head and my heart are a mess you look upon me and see the child you created in love. Thank you God that no matter what I do, nothing will ever break the bond of love that you and I share. Christine writes:
'To keep our hearts alive and vibrant, we need to maintain an attitude of gratitude and thanksgiving. As Paul says, we must "Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]" (1 Thess. 5:18 Amp) Loving God with all our heart flows from a heartfelt gratitude to God for who He is and for all He continues to do.'
Life
Every day I am thankful for the Grace and Forgiveness poured upon me from God through Jesus. At the core of Christianity is the ache of God's heart for us to share this love that He has poured on us with those who do not yet know it. It is our duty to include everyone within that and not to promote a lifestyle that on the surface looks perfect with a heart that is not genuine. Our lifestyle is not supposed to be unattainable to those who do not follow it because the Church primarily exists for its non-members. When we talk about being 'in and not of' the world we must be careful because we cannot alienate ourselves and form an elite that 'have all the answers.' We cannot take ourselves out of our communities and separate ourselves from 'non-Christians,' rather we should be in the middle of it! We are just trying to make our way through life like everybody else is, with a few differences. We cannot create a Christian sub-culture that will reach to a far away country and not to our next door neighbour.
Love
It doesn't take a lot of searching to find that at the core of what we as Christians do should be motivation by the love of God.
 |
| 'Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins' |
Hope
Christianity gives me hope that I exist for a purpose bigger than for myself and my own gratification. The world owes me nothing - I owe God everything. I believe He showed me what life is. He told me that my actions have the power to influence those around me and it is my choice whether that is for good or bad. I am urged to choose good. Each day I hope that the love I carry shines brightly and that it continually grows so that I can stand up for injustice and reach those who are lost and alone. Through grace, I have been spared that and I think others should be too. In times of testing, I am never pushed too far though sometimes I feel like I am. On a bad day, I am always blessed with something good, whether that be through a friend or a good cup of tea. I am blessed with so many people who have made sacrifices for me and have helped me in a time of need and I want to be able to return that to people I meet. Nothing you have done is big enough or bad enough to stop you re-forming a relationship with your creator.
My final thought is this, however hard I may find things, however lost I may feel or however far I am pushed to my limit:
'He knows where I am going. And when He tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.' Job 23:10 Not on my own merit - but through Jesus.
Much Love xxx
Christianity gives me hope that I exist for a purpose bigger than for myself and my own gratification. The world owes me nothing - I owe God everything. I believe He showed me what life is. He told me that my actions have the power to influence those around me and it is my choice whether that is for good or bad. I am urged to choose good. Each day I hope that the love I carry shines brightly and that it continually grows so that I can stand up for injustice and reach those who are lost and alone. Through grace, I have been spared that and I think others should be too. In times of testing, I am never pushed too far though sometimes I feel like I am. On a bad day, I am always blessed with something good, whether that be through a friend or a good cup of tea. I am blessed with so many people who have made sacrifices for me and have helped me in a time of need and I want to be able to return that to people I meet. Nothing you have done is big enough or bad enough to stop you re-forming a relationship with your creator.
My final thought is this, however hard I may find things, however lost I may feel or however far I am pushed to my limit:
'He knows where I am going. And when He tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.' Job 23:10 Not on my own merit - but through Jesus.
Much Love xxx
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