Update: I love Guatemala.
I’m now into day 5 of my travels. So far I have slept in a real bed, used a real toilet, and I’ve had real soap to wash my hands. It is definitely and upgrade compared to training camp!
A few days ago, after our local ministry my team was exploring the city, which is where we met Oscar.
Oscar sells goods with his sister at the local market. He spoke a little English, and with my intermediate Spanish skills, we were able to have an awesome conversation about Jesus. He understood who God is. He knew all about God’s goodness and his grace, but he explained that he didn’t love him back.
When I asked him how he could not love such an incredible king, his response broke my heart:
“I don’t want to feel obligated to go to church and perform a certain way.”
“I’ve been to church and I’ve been judged too much to feel comfortable going back.”
“I’m not good enough to live that life.”
This was my response to him, and to anyone else who has those concerns:
I am sorry for the way the church has hurt you. I have been hurt by Christians, too. I am sorry that the idea of Christianity has been thwarted and misunderstood. People think that The Bible is a rule book to abide by. That is not true. It’s a love story from the King of the Universe to you and me. Christianity is not performance based. You do not have to do certain things or perform a certain way to be good enough for God’s love.
Christianity is not a religion to me. It’s a beautiful and wonderful relationship with the creator of the Universe. It’s a friendship with a powerful king who wants to look out for you and give you more blessings than you could imagine.
Forgive the church- they’re all made up of sinners, too. And allow your heart to be willing to receive the endless love God has for you. He’s waiting.
