A Realization

Hello All,

    I've had a pretty wonderful day after three days of stressful editing, which you know more about if you check out my last post. However, that's sorta not why I'm here today. I'm actually here to talk about a recent realization of mine.

    As some of you may know, I'm a Christian. If not, SURPRISE! But as you may also know, I don't talk about my faith a lot. This is mostly to do with the fact that I have never been good at explaining things to people verbally, so I never make any sense when I describe what I believe. However, another big reason why I barely talk about it is that for the past 3ish years I have been struggling with my faith and where I stood. I had had some bad experiences with some groups that left me questioning whether or not I was even a Christian because I could never live up to their expectations or fit their perfect mould of what I should be like. So that, and my somewhat fiery/alternative views left me fairly alone in my walk with God and looked at like some sort of "black sheep". But a few days ago, I had a conversation with someone about how they felt undeserving of God's love. And out of nowhere I came with this answer... or guess spiel that I felt like I needed to share. So here I am, sharing it.

    If we're being honest, I don't have the most solid faith most days. I falter and make mistakes... a lot of mistakes. In fact, I can go weeks without picking up my Bible. However, if there's anything I've learned over my 20 years of life and like 7ish years of being a Christian, it's that we are never undeserving of God's love. If we were, we wouldn't even be here in the first place and the Earth probably wouldn't even exist. Because we as humans make so many mistakes and are so fallen that we wouldn't last this long. This is why it's so important to read beyond John 3:16 because literally, the next verse says "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." (John 3:17). If God thought we were undeserving of His love, or that doing too many bad things made us undeserving, then why even send His "Only Begotten Son" to die for us? There would be no point and He should have just let the earth disappear with the flood or Adam and Eve. But instead, He looked at mankind, His creation, the ones He created in HIS IMAGE and decided that he loved us so much that He'd send His Son to die for our sins so that we could have a second, third, fourth, so many chances. Basically, God's love is so great and unimaginable that He understood just how human we are and that we wouldn't be perfect, yet He accepted that fact and sent His Son so that we might be saved and be able to live with Him for eternity if we just believe on Him. Our mistakes are what make us human, and yes we have to live with whatever consequences come about because of them. But we can't keep looking back at our past sins because it will cripple us mentally, physically, and spiritually... However, we can have some peace knowing that God doesn't look at our past sins, or even present sins and say "because of these sins I won't allow you to be saved". Instead, He looks at us in love and grace and says "Come unto me" (Matthew 11:28, John 7:37). So if God, the Almighty Creator, can forgive us of our mistakes, we got to learn to forgive ourselves and move on. Being a Christian isn't rocket science. Yet we choose to make it complicated by setting up made-up rules and judgement instead of just looking to God and His Word where He tells us to come as we are and believe in Him. Yes, there are guidelines and commandments, but we aren't living by the law. We only have two great commandments. To love God and to love our neighbour (Matthew 22:37-29, Mark 12:30-31). Plus the 10 commandments act as a guide for our conscience and morals. Still, we put this huge pressure on being a perfect Christian when no such thing exists. No one is a perfect Christian, and that's why we need Christ.

    Anyhow, that was my thoughts and my realization. Sorry if it's repetitive, but it's something that I'm unawarely passionate about. My faith has too often been ruined by fellow Christians and church groups that expect me to fit into their mould of a perfect Christian, and if I'm not they get mad or judge me. And honestly, I don't want to see anyone else go through that and live their life based and faith, based on people's opinion of what a Christian "should" be like. If you truly want to know where to start or go in your faith, the simplest solution is to just read your Bible, pray, and ask God what He wants from your life. Besides that, the majority of it is a give and take of where you stand and what the Bible says.

    But I think I've said enough for now. Until next time my friends!

In Christ's Love,

Hanah Goodnough 💗