When I say I am a Christian...

When I say I am a Christian

I am not shouting I’m clean living

I’m whispering I was lost

Now I’m found and forgiven

When I say I am a Christian

I don’t speak of this with pride

I’m confessing that I stumble

and need Christ to be my guide

When I say I am a Christian

I am not trying to be strong

I’m professing that I’m weak

and need His strength to carry on

When I say I am a Christian

I’m not bragging of success

I’m admitting I have failed

and need God to clean my mess

When I say I am a Christian

I am not claiming to be perfect

My flaws are far too visible

But, God believes I am worth it

When I say I am a Christian

I still feel the sting of pain

I have my shares of heartaches

So I call upon His name

When I say I am a Christian

I ‘m not holier than thou

I’m just a simple sinner

Who received God’s good grace, somehow

All Christians come under attack at some point during their lives. I’m not talking about the daily attacks of temptation for we all have our weaknesses. What I am speaking of here is when the outside world looks in and gets a glimpse of something that doesn’t fit into their “image” of what a Christian should be.

Oooh…that word image. I have to admit it stings a little bit.

The reality is that those who are not saved do not fully understand what it means to be a Christian. How often we see people profess Christianity yet they live a life completely submerged in this world. (But that is a post for another day…yes? Okay!) Therefore, the world judges us harshly. There are so many who literally look for faults in us as Christians so that they can stand on their soap boxes and scream out that we aren’t perfect. What they are failing to realize is that we are not claiming perfection! No quite the opposite.

I think that is why I love this poem so much. It says exactly what I’ve always wanted to be able to say.

Recently I was attacked by someone very close and important to me. This person does not attend church with me but assumes that I attend with the attitude of falsifying my life. They assume that I pretend to be perfect and that my life is perfect and that I never make mistakes when I’m there. This cut deep because I realized that my Christian life is appearing differently to some as what I would want it to.

You see, I am not a believer that thinks a person can NEVER have a drink. Some liquors are quite nice tasting and enjoyable. I personally do like a glass of wine. Oh there was a time in my life where I would probably have said I like a bottle (or three) of wine, but now I say I like a glass. If I was at a braai with friends who had a very good bottle of whiskey (another little indulgence) I would enjoy a single or double over ice and that would be the end. I have people in my life now who say that I am a hypocrite because I drink. I know that there are many debates on this issue. It is not my place here to debate this topic. I am merely making an example of myself!! I do not believe in getting drunk or even tipsy. However, if responsible and appropriate I don’t believe that there is anything worse to a glass of wine as there is to the chocolate bar! (That chocolate bar affects my body much longer than the one glass of wine! A lot of us can prove that in our hips!)

I’m not here to preach…..

I’m not perfect. I don’t think I’m perfect. I attend church each Sunday for fellowship with other Christians, who know I’m not perfect and know they’re not perfect, for time dedicated to worshiping God, who accepts me in all my faults and failures and loves me nonetheless, and for realization that I need to refocus my priorities each and every week. Sundays allow me a moment in which I can line everything back up. The storms of the week subside, Christ heals the wounds, and I get back to where I need to be to tackle the coming days.

By saying that I’m a Christian, I’m not saying that I use it as a crutch. This isn’t an excuse for when my temper gets ahead of me nor is it a rug to sweep my past under. This is a clear glass that I’ve chosen to bare myself in front of. By saying I am a Christian it means that I’ve chosen Christ to lead my life. It means that I’m going to trip, fall, and stumble but I don’t have to do it alone! It means that I WILL unintentionally sin but that I WILL intentionally be forgiven. It means that I know what LOVE really is.

I’ve accepted that I am made in God’s image. He created me to be exactly who I am and He loves me. That is good enough for me. I don’t need to fit the worlds image….they already fit God’s!

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

Shana