“I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of port could do that. If you want a religion to make you feel comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.” -C.S. Lewis
I am currently reading a book called Uncomfortable by Brett McCracken. In this book he speaks about how we have become accustom to seeking a religion that best fits our desires. A religion best defined as “comfortable”. This book has been challenging me because it emphasizes how we modify religion to work around us. If we don’t like the church, we just won’t go. If the Christian name gets a bad rap, we forfeit the name and call ourselves something different. If we don’t feel good about our choices, we sing “yes, Jesus loves me” and make the same choices again. We describe our God as someone who sweetly tucks us in and reads us a bedtime story every night, without any form of reprimand for our actions during the day. We like to serve a declawed God because it makes us feel better. However, when we choose to only live out part of the gospel, we are doing ourselves and Jesus a disservice.
In Thailand there is this saying, “to be Thai is to be Buddhist.” I believe that America used to live by something similar, “to be American, is to be Christian.” We have always had freedom of religion but the foundation of our country has been built on Christianity. Most people in the United States would claim to be Christian even if they didn’t practice the religion. However, times are changing. We are hearing less and less people claim to be Christian. A big percentage of Christians are still claiming their faith but denying the church. We want one but not the other. We tend to follow the Lord on the precedent of being comfortable.
On the outside looking in Christianity has become a hot bed for opinions and interpretations, causing our foundation to easily be shaken.
I have spent the last few days working alongside Buddhist Monks. It has been incredible learning about what they believe and why they live as they do. They live by a set of rules that would probably overwhelm you. I have so much respect for each of these men because they know what they believe, why they believe it, and where to look to affirm it. Their faith, their lives, don’t change depending on circumstance. They are Buddhist and it is what it is. There is no altering the word they live by.
While I love that we serve a God who gives us grace, we do not serve a God of compromise. He is who he is. He loves us how he loves. He is unmoving and unchanging.
The monks have chosen a life of abandonment. Their faith is not dependent on their lives but their lives are dependent on their faith. I feel so blessed to have spent this time in Chiangmai. We will be on our way to cambodia next week! Please be in prayer for a quick and easy border crossing! Thank You so much for your prayers and encouragement!
