My Christianity 101

For those of you who may read this and are not familiar with this whole Christianity thing, I will provide a brief review;

There are some basic principles which all Christians get in their official member guide when they decide Christianity seems pretty good and they want to be a part of it. One thing is that you have to ask Christ into your heart and accept Him as your Savior, (Romans 10:9) and then try really hard not to disappoint him, even though you are totally going to. I asked Christ to be my savior when I was at the tender age of 5, during Sunday school. The teacher described heaven, and then she described hell, and highlighted the fact that if you don't become a Christian it is brimstone for you. So, since I was 5, and hell did not seem like a good life outcome, I went ahead, raised my hand and prayed "The Sinner's Prayer." This moment in my history has led to an incredible journey, in which I have received ridiculous blessings, and some intense disappointments. (But more on that later).

So the thing about "getting saved" when you are 5, is that you have a pretty limited idea of what you are signing on for, and so, when you get a little older, and you have a better grasp on how super it is to have a relationship with God, a recommitment to the faith is generally a good idea. My recommitment came when I was 15 years old, in the midst of some of the toughest moments my family has ever experienced. God was carrying us through that incredibly tough time, and the whole notion of FAITH became a daily reality, and I knew I wanted to make a statement that for better or worse, this Christianity thing had become part of my identity. I was water-baptized that year, which opened the door for God to do some of his best work. (Again, more on that later).

Ok, so that's the "becoming" a Christian part. But of course there is so much more. There's the going to church thing, where you will be around other people who are as completely flawed as you are, but like group therapy, if you talk about it together, you grow, and maybe improve. So I have done the church thing most of my life. There were times when I was literally there whenever the doors were unlocked, and there have been times where church was just about punching my Sunday morning time card. In struggling with some massive depression, there were a bunch of years where I did not go to church at all. But even when I felt like I could not be around other Christians, and was really mad at God, the FAITH part of me stayed constant. I have never stopped believing, even though there were times when I thought it might be better to walk away. So yeah, church has not always been easy for me, but I have no doubt that God wants me to be a part of a fellowship of believers, no matter how irritated I am with not getting what I want.

Beyond church, there is lots of other stuff such as Bible study, worship, evangelism, prayer, and serving. Christianity kind of comes with a big "To Do List." But the thing that is remarkable, is that even when I am failing at all the items on that "To Do List" in a completely epic way, I don't ever feel completely alone.

"You're not alone. For I am here. Let me wipe away your every fear. My love, I've never left your side. I have seen you through the darkest night. And I'm the one who's loved you all your life." ~ Meredith Andrews, You're Not Alone

So, I became a Christian, then when I was a little older, I became a Christian again in front of a lot of people. I went to church, I read the Bible, I prayed, I sang, I served, I shared my faith with others. I was going to say that then it all stopped when I was depressed, but I realize now, that it never stopped. My journal entries from that time in my life reflect a young woman who was struggling with some ugly problems, and instead of ignoring God, kept the lines of communication open by yelling at him instead. I kept doing Christian things, even when my heart was totally not in it because Christianity is not a religion, it's a relationship, and I decided many years ago that I am in this for the long haul.

L