Stop Pushing Your Christian Agenda

Disclaimer: Let me start out this post by clarifying that I pretty much never post anything political online. As far as people can tell from my Facebook, Twitter and other social media, I don't have a single political opinion. I don't know who I'm going to vote for and when I do, I probably won't be telling anyone. I can't stand pointless Facebook arguments. So the fact that I'm even making this post says a lot. 

Let me also clarify that this article is written to and for my Christian brothers and sisters in all love and sincerity. It is written so that we can better fulfill our ultimate purpose in life: to love God and love people. Please read with patience and understanding as I am not a scholar or a politician. I'm just a little girl who loves Jesus a whole freaking lot but not nearly enough. If you're here to get in a fight, consider me sitting in a corner wrapped in a snuggie with some tea, holding a puppy: I'm in no position to fight. You win. This article will undoubtably offend some people, but I'm not here to start another pointless argument on the internet. I'm writing this so that less fights will happen. But I'm getting ahead of myself. 

On with the actual article. 




Abortion, gay marriage, healthcare, public school curriculum, presidential elections, wars, immigration. There, I said it. Anybody offended yet? The list goes on and on and I haven't even scratched the surface of things going on in the world that people have very strong opinions about. Just by mentioning some of these things, I'll bet that there are people whose feathers are all ruffled and ready to fight me on whatever their stance is.

You see, my well-meaning-Christian friend, I know where you're coming from. Being a Christian is all about standing up for what you believe in and honoring God in every possible way. That's awesome, it really is. But what I'm trying to get at with this article is this: when we say we're standing up for what we believe in, what are we actually standing up for? 

The 21st-century American church is notorious for standing against things; abortion, gay marriage, the 10 commandments being taken out of schools, and (although I don't think this was actually a thing) red Starbucks cups. We are told to boycott a huge list of businesses and only eat at Chic-fil-a. This article isn't about any one of those things; it's about our heart behind them. (if you would like to know my opinion on any of these things, I'll happily discuss them with you face-to-face and not over the internet. I'll take you out to Starbucks or if that offends you, we can go to Chic-fil-a.)

What concerns me isn't necessarily any one person's opinion on these controversial things. What concerns me is how the church is showing (or not showing) Jesus to the world. 

Let's just pretend for a moment that the conservative agenda wins. Abortion is illegal, gay marriage isn't a thing anymore. Starbucks has to print nativity scenes and bible verses on their cups. Some perfect Christian white dude is made president and "God bless America" is printed everywhere. What are we actually accomplishing? If people still don't know the wonderful savior who beckons them with love, all is for nothing. 

Forcing people to act like Christians is a great way to make nobody want to actually be a Christian. 

We need to get to the heart of the issue and realize that we're not called to change the outward behavior of people so that everyone acts like a good Christian. We are to live in a way that makes people want to fall in love with Jesus. This is such a risky thing because the results suddenly aren't up to us; they're up to God. We're a bunch of little control freaks (myself included) who want everyone to act and think just like we do. God's grace? Something out of our control? That sounds scandalous.

It's much easier to post a snarky quote on Facebook or wear a cheesy t-shirt than it is to actually get to know someone. It's much easier to sign a petition than it is to look into the eyes of a frightened pregnant teenage girl. It's so much easier to stop shopping at certain stores because they support "the gays" or "those muslims" than it is to actually, like, befriend someone who lives differently than you.

Guilty as charged. I'm writing this article to myself. 

Maybe if we actually got outside of our Christian bubble, we'd realize something: there is no such thing as "those" people. We all are just people. Broken, hurting, human people. There's no "us" versus "them."  

In case you weren't aware, the socio-political situation in Jesus' time sucked. Jesus could have easily rallied people around him to stand against all the things the Roman government was doing. In fact, most people expected Jesus to do that. But Jesus did something revolutionary instead. He simply loved people. He really, really loved. people.

Jesus didn't tell people to clean themselves up before coming to him; he touched lepers. 

Jesus didn't ask what people's political views were before befriending them; he chose tax collectors.

Jesus didn't judge by people's social standings or race; he spoke with a socially-shamed samaritan woman. 

Jesus didn't chose people based on their backgrounds; he used former prostitutes to establish the plans of God. 

Jesus' grace is altogether out of our control and that's what frightens us. We'd much rather stay behind our white picket fences and rant about what's wrong with the world and how we need to vote to stop those people on the other side. Jesus actually went to the other side. He died for "those" people. 

I'm not saying that you shouldn't have an opinion on abortion or gay marriage or immigration laws. I'm saying that first things need to come first. 

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” - Matthew 22:37-40

Jesus never commanded us to change other people's outward behavior. He never once said that we need to make sure that everybody acts like Christians do. He told us to love people. When you really, truly love someone, you can't leave them the way you found them. You are patient and kind, loving them right were they are; no matter where that is. Their behavior may eventually change, but your top priority is the person, not just their actions. When you don't like someone, you force them to change before you will befriend them. There is a huge difference. 

As the church, the body of Christ, we should be known for loving people. We should be known for what we stand for (loving God and loving people) rather than just what we stand against. 

So by all means, shop where you want and get a good chicken sandwich. Vote for what you believe is right. But please realize that the second our political views get in the way of us loving people, we are the ones who are sinning. When our goal is anything other than loving the people that Jesus sacrificed himself for, we are pushing the wrong agenda. 

Have political opinions, sure. But always let love be our top priority and only goal.

"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." - John 13:35

2 Things To Know When Life Gets Hard

I've been there, my friend. I've had weeks where life felt like it was falling apart at the seams. People who you thought would be there forever suddenly aren't. You get in a car wreck. Your bank account information gets stolen. The list goes on and on. The exactness of the situation doesn't matter; life is just really, really hard right now. Here are 2 things you should know:


1. Your Feelings Matter
Forget what everyone else says. Forget what you're telling yourself about your feelings. They matter. Even if what you're upset about seems silly to others. If it's a big deal to you, it's a big deal. Period. Stop comparing your pain to others. Just because someone else broke both of their legs doesn't mean that my broken arm doesn't hurt. Your feelings are valid and important; even the feelings that you wish you didn't have. 

There is no feeling that you can have that God can't handle. So many times in Christian culture, we are taught to be "joyful always." This is a biblical concept, but God doesn't command us to fake our emotions or hide our pain. He wants the exact opposite from us. When Jesus was in the garden of gethsemane on the night before he was crucified, he didn't pray to the Father saying, "Well, that's how it goes! God, you're good and everything's gonna be fine so yaaayyy let's do this! :) :) :)." Jesus cried. He wept so deeply that he started sweating blood. Or read the Psalms for an example. David was a crybaby and oh, how God loved him for that. What God wants from you the most in your times of weakness and pain is your vulnerable authenticity. You only share your deepest feelings with someone that you trust sincerely. When you try to hide your feelings from God and attempt to perform as being happy when you're not, you're telling God that you don't trust Him enough to let him see your true brokenness. More than anything, God wants to be with you in these times. Alongside you in the dirty, scary, crappy times as well as the good ones. 

It's okay to be upset. It's okay to be angry. It's okay to ask "why" a thousand times a day (I certainly do). It's even okay to be angry with God. You can be angry at someone while still totally being in love with them. An authentic relationship with God is going to be messy because people are messy and you are a person. You're not going to understand. I still don't understand. And in moments of authenticity, I cry out with you, "God, I don't understand you. I hate this. I really, really hate. this. This makes no sense. I don't understand why you would let me be hurt like this. But I trust you. I don't understand you, but I love you. I'm really mad at you right now, but you are the love of my life. Help. Me."

2. God is the Same
Something that my Dad has told me over and over and over again when life throws a curveball at me is this: When you can't understand God's hand, trust His heart. God is love. He cannot stop loving you. Just because the circumstances of your life don't seem to be showing it right now doesn't mean that God has changed. He cannot change. He has promised to never leave you or forsake you. He never breaks His word. I know how it is to feel like He has. Oh, how I know it. I know what it is to lie in bed for days, doing nothing but crying and asking why. I still have more questions than answers. But, oh, I know this: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). 

Cling to what He has done for you in the past. Know that He's not finished with you yet. Your future is beautiful. He absolutely refuses to give up on you, no matter how much it feels like He already has. He hasn't. I can't tell you why you're going through this. There are things I went through years ago that I still don't have answers for. I wish with all of my heart that I could heal your pain and explain exactly why everything happened the way it did. I can't. But I can promise you this: in Christ, you have a safe place to be who you are and feel what you feel. He is with you and He will never change. You don't have to pretend to be something that you're not. I can't answer the "whys" but I can tell you this: He is with you.

Your also broken sister, 

Suzanna.