To be a Christian, many believe one has to be perfect and abide by every rule under the sun. Others believe Christians are entirely judgmental and hypocritical when it comes to challenging times. But to truly be a follower of Christ, it actually means the exact opposite. Everyone is flawed, and it is in those flaws where we find faith in Jesus and the Lord: faith to keep persevering and fighting no matter what tests and complications stand in the road. Nonetheless, God forgives for all of these imperfections and crafted us in mind of these quirks in our beautifully made beings. Simply put, the essence of Christianity is to love, all by the grace of God. However, no matter how hard Christians will blunder through their lives and attempt to be as close to perfect as they can be, the inevitability to slip up and fall into temptation is the same as any other human on this earth. The only difference with followers of Christ is how we continually recognize our mistakes and ask for forgiveness and mercy for our pitfalls, with motives to try to better ourselves despite our reoccurring failures. We as believers rely on the man upstairs to keep our safety and best interest in His hands and to steer the reins of our spiraling lives into His perfect, predestined plan.

(Hailey)

As Christians, we are always taught to love each other and forgive those who have sinned against us, just as the Lord forgives us. God is taught to be perfect, all-knowing and the manifestation of unconditional love, but some lose this definition of the Lord when hardships entangle their lives. They begin to question the credibility of Christianity itself which promises an always loving God; God never stops caring for his children, but he does test their faith in ways he knows each person has just enough strength for. Faith is defined as the trust or confidence in someone or something, relating back to the unwavering sense of hope and reliance needed to survive these complications in a life’s journey. This faith is what keeps a Christian driving through their life in the world awaiting for that homecoming. I was taught in church to never judge as it is the job of the Lord’s when that person’s day comes and to not use my petty and sinful mouth. My preacher chiseled into my mind and character to love others unconditionally, no matter their past, appearance or lifestyle.

(JoAnn)

From the minute we are born, we are destined for a joyous ride of a life with Christ, whether you know it or not. For me, it didn’t matter that I grew up with Sunday school teachings or the anthem of “Jesus Loves Me” stamped in my little brain to understand this growing concept. You see, beginnings are important, but Jesus takes us as we are no matter how we grew up or how we live now. He takes us in with open arms and with a love that we would never be able to comprehend. He gives us new understanding of His divine nature. All we have to do is say yes to Him.

I can’t help but always go back to the morning of my baptism, where an imprint was left on my spirit and my mind forever. There were feelings of expectancy and captivating splendor, of excitement and joy, of nervousness and wild adrenaline, all pumping through my veins. I knew that I was soon about to go through a phase of my life where I would never be the same. My ability to see the unseen and unfolding image of God’s love for me came simply from looking at my utmost darkness of a life I had before, and looking at who I am now: a new creation. I walked into the waters with nerves that I will probably never retain again. Once my body went in and out of those roaring waves, it was almost an instant of incredible glory pouring out of God and into me. I felt free because I was free. No longer a slave to my past life, no longer shackled and bound to my insecurities, fears, and failures. The best way to describe this feeling is that I was a prisoner at one moment, undeserving and hopeless, and bailed out the next, by someone who looked upon me and my brokenness and offered me a fresh start, and new life. Sometimes I think it’s too good to be true.

Being baptized doesn’t mean I’m perfect or absolutely engrossed in faith 24/7. It took me a while to realize this, but soon after the days when the holy fire was crazy ablaze in my spirit, I knew that being baptized wouldn’t mean that I could take on my life by my own strength- that I couldn’t just go through the motions and try to be a person of no wrong. This would mean I would have to give everything to Him: my failures, my flaws, my sin, my pain and my joy, and receive grace every day. It’s not even about religion at all, it’s about a constant relationship that grows and grows with each passing day, moment, second.

Whenever some people believe devoted Christians are perfect and holy people who live life like saints, know the Bible like the back of their hand and don’t possess a sliver of knowledge of all the worldly aspects of life, I can’t help but think God has a sense of humor. I mean, look at me. Sometimes I doubt God’s plan for my life when it’s 1 a.m. and I’m solving calculus problems. “God, please.. You know me. I want to live like Jesus did, and I don’t think He spent most of His nights solving for the derivative/rate of change of the radius of the water flowing in an upside down cone. I mean, if He did, that’s great, but… actually, no, He didn’t. Maybe I’ll need to know this when I’m teaching kids this same concept in a small, rural village in the mountainsides of Peru when I’m 24?  Probably not… Do you mind telling me now if I’ll use this again before I feel the urge to hide under a rock for the rest of my life? Also, why do I need to know what a proton is? … Okay, I’ll stop complaining now.”

I can be the most imperfect person I know with often one heck of a skewed attitude towards Jesus, but He continually reflects His own heart and intertwines it with mine. I fall short on the glory of God just as anyone else in life, but the underlying difference between living life with & without God is in accepting this simple truth: He still loves. He still desires us. He is the ultimate judge of all creation, and yet always wants to pour mercy out. How could it be, that He relentlessly pursues us? It’s an astonishing and beautiful truth, knowing God is the only one that can change the entire trajectory of any person, given any hovering darkness, any despicable past, any hateful nature… and make them into a person of new strength and bravery, with continuous joy that pours out like no other. It is too good to be true- but it’s real- He’s real, and He’s ready to win your heart.

We’re completely different people with different pasts, different experiences, and different stories. But the underlying unity that we and any other follower of Christ is, simply put, Christ himself. Know this. Your perceived identity will never stand in the way of His boundless love. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Presbyterian or a Baptist, He still loves you. It doesn’t matter if you did regrettable things in the past, things that haunt the person you are today, He still loves you. And quite frankly, it doesn’t matter to Him if you feel absolutely adamant on ever believing His existence, because He still loves you. God is after your heart with His lovesick love, and nothing can separate us from that- and this is what Christianity means to us.