Christian? No, thank you.

The term Christian has become one of the most controversial labels applied to a believer today.  I was recently attacked on Twitter for attempting to explain an aspect of my faith.  His Twitter handle was Religulous.  Can't say that I didn't expect to have someone who actively pursues debate with someone who holds a different belief to understand or agree with me on any aspect of my faith.  At any rate, it got me to thinking.  What is a Christian?

It is not:
A political affiliation
A position of judgment
A rallying cry for the moral
Denying others rights or freedoms afforded to you
Believing that you are better off than anyone else
Exempt from sin

The Right has so brainwashed most of American Christians, mainly in the South, that in order to be on the side of good that you must be Conservative.  Not true!  If you look at the words of Jesus and even attempt to align them with a political party then you're missing the whole point.  He wants you to love and accept people where they are.  Don't worry about what He says is sinful behavior on their part and lay that focus on yourself.  Just allow yourself to be a conduit of His love and mercy.

If you wake up every morning with a determination to preach hell-fire and brimstone to a lost soul then consider it gone from the beginning.  Cornering someone in a supermarket or Facebook messaging that one gay/lesbian person you know about saving them from Hell then you will have a hard time convincing them that God loves them.  A decision to follow Christ is not always an immediate decision and we must respect His timing as perfect...because it is.  Not to mention that those actions make it appear that you have no struggle with sin and that you believe you are superior because you happened to make the decision to follow Christ sooner.  In reality, none of us are any better than a murder sitting on death row.  A sin is a sin.  There is no variation of color when it comes to what is clean and what is dirty.  We're all dirty.

So what is a Christ Follower (my preferred term)?

It is:
A person who is committed to carrying out the Great Commission
Someone who expresses love, which is a choice and not a feeling, to everyone equally
Giving freely to the poor including the man on the corner
Recognizing that you above all have sinned and fallen far short of God's glory

I am not saying that God's Word is void of anything other than the command to love.  I'm saying that I would prefer to live like God has told me to without worrying about every political move the president makes, without slandering someone who doesn't believe like I do or worrying about the dust in someone else's eye because Lord knows I have planks in my own.  I'm going to live my life dictated by hope.  That is what a Christ Follower does.

What's old is new again

I staggered into my long unused Twitter account the other day. As I was changing some things around and updating profile pictures, the important stuff, I realized I had this old blog still listed on my profile. Clicking on the link was like pulling a dusty book off of the shelf. I went back to the very first post and read through some of the most profound times in my life. I was on the verge of finding happiness, contentment and well-being. I found me.

I'm not saying that the three years between those posts and this one have been completely perfect but there have been some major accomplishments. I've dealt with some huge stuff. I've moved mountains in overcoming PTSD, repaired a strained relationship with my family, lost my grandfather to Alzheimer's, watched relationships come together and fall apart and stood with my wonderful husband as he suffers panic attacks. That was the hard stuff and in that I realize how blessed I am. On the other side of that coin I've had some blissfully wonderful moments; getting married to the one God made just for me, having a beautiful baby boy, watching my daughter grow into a rambunctious, smart and beautiful girl. There have been many laughs and many tears but nothing in the last three years has threatened to crush me or kill me as my past had.

This dusty old blog has served me well in those three years and I do believe that this shiny new blog will serve me well in the future. Husband told me just the other day that he can't remember half of what I say because I say so much. I realized that the majority of what I say is just thoughts, ideas and musings. So, to save his ears and his sanity, I will begin posting here more often.

The majority of what you may see here, if anyone ever looks, will be my journey to full surrender of God's will. This path has called to me for many years but I've never let go and stepped out to see where it leads. I'm walking this path in faith and certainly not by sight but rather than fearing what I cannot see I am exhilarated by it. I can feel the cool, refreshing air of change begin to touch my face and His word is clear with each step, reassuring me that I am going in the right direction. I wish I could take everyone along with me. I wish you could feel how much easier each breath is now that I've made the decision. That first step is always hardest but I know that I will never look back.