I was thinking about a statement this week that I hear a lot: "I don't go to church because I don't belong there." Worse yet, "I feel like a hypocrite attending a church where everyone gets this "God thing" but me."
Now, I could pull out all sorts of Scripture out to tell you and show you how Christ came for everyone and how He truly loves and treasures all of us, no matter where we are (or are not) in our faith life. However, that is not the angle I want to come from today.
A couple of times a week, I go to the gym. I lift weights, go to cycle/spin class, and work out on various machines. I do a lot of people watching at the gym. It never ceases to amaze me the variety of people that come to the gym. Not only are there various ethnicities and ages, but there are various body types. Why is this unique, you ask?
Well, everyone comes to the gym. Old people, young people, super fit people, overweight people, runners, cyclists, weight lifters, etc. etc. etc. Everyone comes to and is welcome at the gym. The gym is not limited to just fit, younger people or older muscular people. It is open to all people at all stages of life with all different exercise routines.
No one walks up to a fit person and tells them they are too fit to be at the gym. No one tells the person who only comes once a month that they don't come enough to come to the gym. No one tells the overweight person that there is no hope for them, so why bother coming to the gym.
No! Everyone is welcome!
This is what the church should be like. Everyone is welcome. It doesn't matter if you grew up in a Christian household and can't ever remember not being a Christian or if you don't have any idea who this God is. It doesn't matter if you are old or young. It doesn't matter if you come every time the doors are open or only a couple times a year. Everyone is welcome!
See, God is not limited to who we are, what ethnicity we are, how much faith we have, and how much we do or do not know. God is here for everyone.
God came for us all. None of us are a waste of space or a waste of a seat. Ever. Period. But especially when we enter a church.
The church is intended to be a place to come and do life with people. When I say "people," that means no one is left out. People come with regrets and questions. People come with dreams and broken spirits. People come with laughter and tears. The church is the place where we can (and should) be the realest.
For those who have been hurt or rejected by people in the church: I am so sorry. The problem when you get people together, even in the Name of God, is that we are still very much broken and sinful people. It does not excuse the hurt that they have caused you, however please know that God holds them accountable for their actions, even if you do not see that. I also promise you that not all people in the church are like that.
The people of God were not intended to look like people of the world, but all too often we are far more like the world than God. This drives people away. Again, I say (better yet, God says) everyone is welcome in the church. You don't have to get your act together or get this whole "God thing."
When Christ said, "Come as you are," He meant it!
I have been a Christian for a long time and I still don't get this "God thing." I still struggle and fall. I still question and doubt. God didn't call me to get it all together. He just calls me to come!
Will you choose to come to God today, with all your doubts and questions? With all your heartache, laughter, and brokenness? I promise that God will never turn you away and the church shouldn't either.
To those who are in the church: Will you choose to be kind, loving, and accepting? Will you choose to love on the broken and understanding of those struggling (after all, we all struggle!)? If we do not care for our own, we have no business trying to reach the world.
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