Low Sodium Christianity (1)

Low Sodium Christianity (1)
How Do We Season Our World?

I've been a Christian since I was eight years old. I'm thirty-two now, and in the past quarter-century, I have seen a lot of changes in various denominations, ranging from eclectic-styled music and Communion every Sunday (which have promoted individual spiritual growth) to corporate-minded members and political-rights activists (which have gotten out of control, in my opinion). Although my faith in Christ has not wavered, my respect for many in the Christian community has, especially because of the way they have treated fellow-believers and non-believers alike. Now, I'm not talking about those who struggle from day to day, just trying to serve God the best they can while going through circumstances most of us can't relate to. I'm not talking about those who fall into temptation, finding themselves in situations that they shouldn't be in as believers, but not knowing how to get out of them. No, I'm talking about those who act like they are the only ones who are 'living right', who try to 'help out' those in the first two categories with what amounts to judgmental condemnation instead of loving reasoning. They are the same kind of 'religious elitists' that Jesus faced while He ministered to the hurting masses, only back then they were called Pharisees.

First of all, I want to make something very clear before I go any further - I sin. I sin everyday. I don't sin because I think it's okay. I don't sin because I know I can get forgiveness for it later. I sin because although my spirit has been quickened through salvation by the blood Jesus shed on the cross, I still live in this human body that has not been redeemed yet. My spirit longs to walk in ways pleasing to God, but my flesh manages to override those yearnings, striving to fulfill my own desires. Sometimes my desires aren't really wrong, just God-given aspects of my unique personality that can be cultivated as something good through my relationship with Him. Still, I sin, coming short of the Glory of God, and there is no excuse for it, even if there is forgiveness. This is not supposed to be something written by someone who 'has it all together' to reprimand those who don't. This is simply meant to reach out to those who are confused as to why a loving God would have followers who hate so easily and to challenge other Christians to take a good look at their lives to see if they are serving God or just their church doctrines.

To anyone reading this who has been hurt by a Christian, or the church as a whole, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that we are people first and Christians secondly. I'm sorry that we can be pious and pompous as long as what you're doing isn't something we're personally guilty of. I'm sorry that we preach love and acceptance, yet seem to practice dissension and condemnation. This is not the way God wants it to be, but since we all have free will, He will not go against that… not even for our own good. No, God wants people who will help each other, reach out to those who are lost, and serve Him with their hearts – not just by following a set of rules, but by wanting to show how much they love Him by loving others as selflessly as He has. Unfortunately, there are many people who think that being a Christian means becoming a robot that will pray so many hours a day, read scripture passages all week, and go to church every time the doors open. That's not it at all. It's not always about what you do; it's about the intent of your heart when you do it. God wants people to serve Him because they want to, not because they're shamed into it by self-righteous hypocrites who wouldn't know an act of kindness if it bit them in their church pew seats.

Do you know what Christians should be doing to show that our hearts truly belong to God? We should be visiting homosexuals with HIV in hospitals and helping their partners deal with the illness, not focusing on their lifestyle, but loving the person as an individual with needs that only God can meet. We should be delivering food to the sick and the elderly in our communities instead of building new fellowship halls and campuses. We should be offering child care for single working parents and poor families, not spending thousands on playgrounds solely used for Children's Church to get more tithing parents, but working out schedules with available caregivers to bring these children into our own homes. We should be helping pregnant women who are considering abortion by opening our own clinics to educate them on why the fetus growing inside them is a living soul, not just unfeeling cells to be discarded, and then give them adoption alternatives and some support in finding a solution to whatever problems they face in carrying their child. We should be volunteering time with Habitat for Humanity to build homes for people who might never have one any other way. We should be involved with local rehabilitation centers for alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and sexual-related disorders, showing these people that their addictions are not a curse from God, but something that He can help them overcome. We should be 'the salt of the Earth', but we have lost our savor – our ability to change the world around us through love – because we're too busy fighting amongst ourselves and worrying about the size of our church tithe every Sunday, while the world is suffering from a serious spiritual blandness problem.

It's time we got kosher again and began seasoning those around us with the flavor of God's joy and forgiveness.