"Christian" people get on my nerves

Sometimes "Christian" people are so rude. I'm trying to think of another way to put it, but that's it. Rude, mean, and ugly...

What is "being a Christian?" What comes to your mind? I think a lot of people are going to be surprised. "... And in that day I will say to them, depart from me ye worker of iniquity. I never knew you." What does that mean?

I think it's a lot simpler than we make it.
Let me start with what "being a Christian" isn't:
It isn't rude, ugly, irritable, mean spirited or judgemental. it
isn't fast to get angry. It doesn't think of its self as better or
knowing more "how to be like Jesus" than the next person. It
doesn't meet at church and find everything wrong with everyone
and/or everything.

Now, as far as what a "Christian" is:
A Christian is loving. A Christian looks at people through eyes that say "I care
about you. A Christian chooses to see the good in people. It sees
other's best potential in them right now, but doesn't point out every area that they need to change. It genuinely wants people to meet
Jesus-to feel his love and fall in love with him. It wants others
to get to know for themselves how amazing God is, and how much he
cares about them.

I get annoyed with "religious" people who think they know SO much about God, but are missing it altogether. They are the hardest for me to "love." People who are so caught up in "following" God, that they end up following nothing but their own rules.

I've gotten flack from these people in the past. Why? because I genuinely believe that God called the true believers to LOVE, not judge. I should know, I was on the other end of that for so long. In my mind, I wasn't judging, I was discerning, or observing the facts, 2+2=4 kind of thing. I felt compelled to discern between the "right" and the "wrong" of what people were doing. I felt that if I didn't I was somehow agreeing with the "wrong" and that I would get deluded into being "ok" with "sin." So many "Christians" fall into this trap.

By loving people you aren't saying that everything's ok, there is no right and wrong. It's the exact opposite. You want to save people from the judgement of God for their sin. Why do people try and save people from judgement, with judgement?

When you love people you'll find that you genuinely care about them, and the quality of their lives. You'll find that you want people to meet Jesus because you want them to have peace in their souls and feel unconditional love. You'll find that it's not actually your responsibility to judge everyone. You'll want to see the good in people over the bad. That isn't saying that the "bad" isn't there, but what point is there in pointing out everything that's wrong with them? How do you feel when that is done to you?

For me, I've changed the most in the absence of judgement. Every person, at the end of their life, is going to be judged by God, it isn't our responsibility to do it now. What point is there in judging them for the sin that we want to see them freed from? I want people free, not "obeying" God out of a pressure to do the "right" thing.

Take a gander through the Bible at the people Jesus had the biggest problems with... He embraced the adulteress-she knew she was sinning, she didn't need to have it spelled out. When he spared her life, He told her to go and sin no more. The Pharisees, however, he called a brood of vipers. A brood of vipers.

Inspired by my friends...

... who update their blogs; here's another random update!

Seriously, all these friends of mine who keep a regular presence on their blogs, you are amazing. I get overwhelmed. With everyday happenings such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, babies, phone calls, errands, facebook... who has time for blogging? Plus, how many people actually care enough to read it?

I have a new answer to things that, at the moment, are too much for me to think about: Who cares. I often find myself getting really worked up about nothing. It doesn't seem like "nothing" to me at the time, but when it all boils down, who cares? Worst case scenarios usually aren't that awful. I don't want to give myself a heart attack, or even worse, WRINKLES (!!;) because I spent most of my life worrying over just about everything. That's a concept Josiah has wordlessly taught me.

Speaking of wordless teaching, if you're wondering, that's the best kind. I can't say that I am a wordless teacher yet, but being around a wordless teacher is pretty great. Josiah hates me saying gooey gooey stuff about him, so, this is not gooey gooey. It's the plain, cold, hard fact: He's a wordless teacher who doesn't ever judge me. Ezra, be like your dad:).



The other day our dear dear dear dear dear dear dear friends, Summer Ryan and Audra came to town. It was getting late and Ezra and Audra were getting-nono-they were tired! Ezra was holding a little ball. Audra wanted it. dun dun dun dun. So Audra took it and walked away. Ezra, in shock that someone took his toy, began hyperventilating-deep breaths in and out, in and out. He had a look of, WHAT DID YOU JUST DO!? Followed by a I don't even think so! So he huffed and puffed and crawled, faster than I'd ever seen, over to Audra, climbed up her back and held on to her for balance. In the process of climbing up her back, he'd ended up pinching her. In pain, Audra began crying. Ezra looked at her, determination to get his ball back turning into bewilderment. Summer (Audra's mom-Audra is 3 by the way!), told Audra, Audra, you took his ball. Give it back. The ball was handed over to Ezra. Tired and upset, Audra continued to cry on mommy's shoulder. SO, in his first ever attempt to make things better, Ezra, staring intently at Audra, gave her his ball and went and started playing with another toy! Aww, my little pookie bear! I was so surprised, and entirely delighted.




If you know me at all, you won't be surprised that since then, I have randomly started crying (to see what Ezra will do). That's wrong I'm sure. He brings me his toys until I'm "better" - Ah, he is *so* cute!