I grew up in a Christian home. I memorized Bible verses since I can remember. I watched Veggie Tales. I went to church and Sunday school every week, etc. I have believed in God as long as I can remember (and longer).
I even believed in God during times in my life when my actions were directly against Gods will.
Believing in someone or something is actually really easy do to. I’ve been doing it for a long time.
But I am now on my 5th month of my World Race. This month I have been struggling with God on a lot of issues. Issues of predestination vs. free will, the goodness of God and why he allows bad things to happen, etc. I have been struggling. Actually really struggling. I’ve been feeling mad at God. Frustrated. Confused.
Each week my team and I go into local schools and do English camps. For the faculty and students, our English camp is an opportunity for them to practice and learn more English. For us, it is an opportunity to share about Jesus. The second day of our camp, we do a pretty powerful skit (our own variation on the Lifehouse skit — check it out on YouTube if you haven’t seen it).
When we separate into our own classes we talk about Jesus. For so many of these students it is the very first time they have ever heard about Jesus, His death on the cross, the freedom we have in Him, and that it is offered to each of them!
We have some incredibly Godly translators help us in getting the message across (we actually couldn’t do it at all, without them).
At the end, we ask if they want to accept Him into their hearts. Most of them do. Really. They do. It should give me chills, but for some reason, I always feel a little bit sad. Because almost immediately after, they have required Buddhist meditation and worship.
So even if these kids actually “believed” in Jesus when we told them about Him, they weren’t turning their lives around.
I’m not trying to say that seeds are not planted, or that hearts aren’t being stirred, but really… what is the point of BELIEVING, if it isn’t life changing.
I don’t want to just believe in God. Believe that He died for me, loves me unconditionally, and has a beautiful plan for my life.
I want to live every moment of each day, seeking to GLORIFY Him. Trying to understand more of Him. Trying to share the freedom and life I am experiencing through Him, with others.
Believing is not enough at all for me anymore.
Majority (77%+) of Americans are Christian. Or BELIEVE in Jesus. (stats are based off of a google search I just did).
But you get the point. So many people go to church. But realistically speaking, how many people are truly living their lives in a way that glorifies God, and lives each day for a higher purpose?
Please don’t think that any part of this is out of a heart of judgment to others, it is just something that God has been convicting me of and I figured I would share.
Love to all reading this. God is good. Bad in this world comes from the absence of God.
XO
