I've contemplated this post for a while because I know it will possibly offend some people. However, I've decided to go ahead and express my feelings on the subject because I feel it's important. As I've stated previously, I have prayed repeatedly for God to use this storm in my life to bring about something good and to use my life to help achieve His will. This blog is something I feared starting, but I jumped into it head first because I felt called to write to help encourage others in their relationship with God. Therefore, it wouldn't be right for me to hold back on certain topics simply because I fear push back. I feel passionate to write about this topic because this is a struggle I faced for a long time in my own personal faith journey. So here it goes.....

I believe when you fall in love with God, it changes you. And, it doesn't just change you, it changes everything about you. It changes how you live, how you talk, where you spend your time, how you treat others, etc. I have always identified as a Christian because I do and always have believed that God sent his only son to die on a cross to save us from our sins, and offer us eternal life. However, I wasn't living in ways that reflected my beliefs. I was living as a lukewarm Christian who hoped to reap the benefits of Christianity by meeting the bare minimum standards. I only went to church when it was convenient. I never read the bible. I let my emotions get the best of me. If someone wronged me, I was angry and non-forgiving. I was easily enamored by earthly things. I thought I earned my own successes and laughably thought I was in control of my life. This list could go on forever, but I think you get the idea here.

When my world was broken, I surrendered to God. Searching for His comfort, peace, and love, I began spending more time with Him each day. I began attending church regularly and reading my bible. I became more aware of how I treated others. I began spending time in prayer and devotions. At first, these behaviors were items I checked off my to do list each day, but as I got to know God better, I started craving these new behaviors. I didn't want to miss a Sunday at church because I loved learning about my heavenly Father. Every morning I looked forward to reading His word and analyzing it for lessons applicable to my own life. I wanted my day focused more on Him and less on me. I wanted to be a better person in every way possible. I felt so renewed and full of joy that I wanted other people to have a relationship with Him and experience it too.

Looking back, I now realize that saying you are a Christian is completely different than actually being a Christian. When you truly surrender your life to God, you choose to be obedient to Him. You crave time with Him. You want to learn everything you can about Him and his amazing son. So many people profess their Christianity, but the commitment ends there. If going to church feels like a chore, you only attend church on Easter and Christmas or most days go by without giving much thought to God, then you have missed the whole point of faith. I tell you this not to offend you, but to let you know that you are missing out on something amazing. I hope this excites you that there is so much more that awaits you in your faith, if you do your part. When we live as lukewarm Christians, we live like everyone else. In fact, our faith and behavior standards are probably set by other lukewarm Christians. Everyone you hang out with is probably similar to you in a lot of ways, creating a comfortable environment for how you live and the choices you make. These lukewarm Christian standards are most likely lenient, bending questionable rules to allow you to do the things you want to do in life without feeling guilt for your choices. When we truly fall in love with God, the end result may not be as comfortable because it will call us to live more like Jesus and to act and behave differently than others. God's standards are high. As a human, its impossible for us to perfectly meet them. However, we can meet God right where we are, accept Him into our lives, and try our best every day to live in a way that reflects the honor and love we hold for Him. So, I ask you today, what kind of Christian are you? What kind of Christian do you want to be? I've been both and I can tell you one is way more rewarding than the other,