The Example We Set

I’ve been hurt by the church many times. Some of those hurts led to years away from organized religion. Some were multiple slights adding up to a lot of pain. The sad part isn’t that the church hurt me. That will happen when the church is made up of imperfect people. The sad part is that pain drove me away from God. I couldn’t reconcile a loving God with a church that caused such deep pain. In time, I was able to heal enough to return to the church but there are still times when the pain gets so deep and real, I’m driven to isolation. That type of pain is not from God.

I’ve been driven to my knees from fractured relationships within the church leading me to doubt God’s love. I’ve sat crying out in pain wondering why God hates me. God’s love is supposed to be perfect, but I thought that meant I must be perfect. I believed the lie that there’s something I need to do to earn that love instead of realizing God’s love surrounds us all the time. God loves me even when I don’t love Him. God’s love is greater than my pain. God’s acceptance is greater than my rejection by others.

The world is watching. They’re watching our actions. They’re watching how we love. They’re watching how we forgive. If you put a fish on the back of your car, if you turn up the Christian music on the radio, if you wear a cross around your neck, people are watching.

We’re setting the example as followers of Christ. As people watch us, they see God. If we hate, they will feel our hatred and think God doesn’t love them. If we judge, they will think God is judging them. If we reject them, they will think God is rejecting them. God’s love is perfect and Christ’s sacrifice is complete. I believe God wants a relationship with us and grieves when we turn away.

What will people see? Will they see us showing radical love to others? Will they see us forgiving without limits? Or will they see us harden our hearts? Will they see judgement? Condemnation? Or will they see the loving, merciful face of God?

Photo by Amir Arabshahi on Unsplash