My Confessional

I have something that I need to confess to everyone, but I'm not going to share it quite yet. First I am going to take a minute to explain where I am coming from before I start spilling my guts to a bunch of strangers. I am a Christian. I have been my whole life and I will be until the day that I die. I don't want to follow any other God, or join any other religion, I am happy with mine. I work at a church and am happy with that also. I get the opportunity to share God with teenagers and that also makes me happy. I have a wife that also believes in the same God I believe and that makes me really happy.  But there is something that I have been holding onto that I need to ask everyone's forgiveness for.

I read a book a while back that really opened my eyes to this idea and I really felt the need to share it with you all in my own way. So my first confession is that this is not my original idea (if there even is one anymore).

Here goes nothing. I want to say that I'm sorry. Not really to the Christians that are going to read this, but to the people who don't yet know God, or who don't want to know God, or the people who have been hurt by another Christian out there in the name of God. You see, there is a terrible history of people killing others in the name of God. People using Christianity to make money, evade taxes, prove points even when they are wrong, get their way, reject others, etc. and they have misrepresented the true God, the true Jesus. And I too, have misrepresented Jesus.

You see, I claim to be a Christian which makes me a follower of Jesus Christ. That means, that everything I do represents who Christ is. And my confession is that I haven't represented Christ the right way.  Here are just a few ways that I have failed.

Jesus said to love everyone,
and I usually just love those who love me.
He said to pray for those who persecute you,
but I tend to hide who I am so I won't face persecution.
Jesus said to feed the poor and take care of the sick,
but I have mostly taken care of myself and other Christians.
Jesus told me to be a light on a hill,
but I've been more of a lighter flickering in a closet. 
Jesus didn't waste time or words but lived every moment to its fullest
and spoke truth at all times,
but I am such a wasteful person of my time and words. 
Jesus used his words to heal and encourage,
and my words hurt and discourage. 
Jesus used his time for good for others,
and my time is used to please myself. 
 

I could go on like this but there is no need because I think you see the pattern.  I have not represented Jesus Christ the right way and that is something I need your forgiveness for.

You see, there are so many people out there who don't want anything to do with Christianity or Christians because people like me have not shown them who the Real Jesus is. It is a tough thing to do and I know that I will screw up a lot more and then I'll have to ask for your forgiveness again, so please bear with me through this. But for now, I'm sorry.  Even if I have never met you, I'm sorry that people like me have turned you away from knowing what God is really like. 
 

The truth is that there is a God out there who loves you so much. Yeah you. With all your screw ups and mess and hidden hurts that you have in your closet. We all live in a world that wants us to be slaves to it. We are being captured and held hostage and God is our only way out. You cannot think that God is like me or you will never know the true God. I simply will never be able to represent God as He deserves, but one thing I can do right, is tell you that He loves you and wants to save you. He wants you to know who He really is.

If you are someone who doesn't want anything to do with God because some Christian has hurt you, I understand and I am sorry. But don't let that keep you from experiencing what God is really like. If you ever want to know God or if you need Him for anything, all you have to do is talk to Him and He will listen. Thanks for letting me spill my guts to you and if you ever need anything at all, please ask, I want to be here for you too.