Religion, To Be or Not To Be

I'm all worked up and need to share. This is an excerpt from a previous opinion I have written.

Christianity...it's not about religion or rituals or activities to exonerate ourselves for our human-ness. It is a personal relationship with God, the Father, and knowing how deeply He loves us. It is the inner desire for my family, friends and co-workers to see Jesus in me.

Yes, I sin every day, not as a plan, but as a default. It is my personal responsibility to keep myself in check and strive every day to "clean the glass" so that you can see Jesus in me more clearly. There is no gray in this world. It is black and white. You cannot appreciate the love of a Father or the beauty in the sky, or the oceans or the mountains and not know that our Creator is a Master. The bible could not have survived and stood as strong as it has if it was just some fairytale, despite the fact of innumerable translations.

There is a power beyond explanation that washes through my soul and through my heart knowing that I was created by purpose and not some accidental pollination. I know that to see hypocrisy and greed in a church is one of the most damaging things to our legacy and it makes me hide my head in shame. I have a lot of issues with organized religion and could go on with you for days about our personal experience. It was damaging and painful and when church hurts, it can burn right through to the core. Religion isn't really an "out" because more than not, religion will find a way to make you feel bad...not good enough, not worthy, not clean.

It is not about religion. It is about God, He knows the heart and He knows why you are there. I go to church to worship, to share my gifts, to learn and to fellowship. It is accountability to a certain degree. It is definitely not my excuse to misbehave the rest of the week. Faith comes from within and covers you like rain when you need it most. When a Christian, or a pastor, is called down to his knees with sin and shame, I think of it as target practice. Satan gets the most points for how many people he can make think, "see, and he said he was a Christian". No one is out of reach to "evil" that can be used to destroy faith in others. Why does God let bad things happen to good people? I don't believe he does. It is the way of this earth and when and if bad things happen to me, He will be there to get me through it. He said so.

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-29