God in a Box

Today I’m on a bit of a soapbox. Maybe this is influenced a little by Blue Like Jazz writer, Donald Miller. Maybe God is just nudging my heart and telling me that sometimes I live in such a bubble.

I am a born-again Christian, and there is truly nothing I love more than Jesus. Now I haven’t always been able to say that. But I can say it now and know that I know that’s true to the deepest places. There’s no place I would rather be than with Him.

But honestly sometimes I have a hard time with other Christians, well, specifically the judgmental “Christians should…” kind of Christians. The kind that put God and being a Christian in a box. I had an encounter with one of those people recently, just a very brief thing. And all I felt was this completely yucky spirit of religiosity. Let me tell you. I am not about religion. I am about Jesus Christ.

So on that note I’ll just yell loudly on my blog.

Being a born-again Christian does not mean you have to be a Republican. It doesn’t mean you live in the suburbs. It does not mean that you can quote Scripture right and left. Not all Christians go to church every Sunday. We mess up a lot, we don’t always do the right thing; we are, in short, a work in progress.

We laugh loudly at potty humor, sometimes in my house, and we love redneck humor. We watch reality tv shows and love them. I read many nonChristian books.

And we don’t all homeschool. Let me go down that trail a bit… as more Christians are homeschooling, I see some who have the attitude that it’s the best thing for Christians to do, or it’s the right thing for Christians to do. And I swear they wouldn’t admit but deep down inside they have the attitude that it makes them better Christians for doing it.

I think homeschooling is great – if that’s what God has asked you to do. Period. The end.


So for all the non-homeschooling Christian moms, I’m just going to say this- I am so glad to send my children to school each day. It’s okay to like being away from your kids while they’re in school. Don’t we moms create a lot of guilt for ourselves, or should I say satan sure helps us feel condemned?

Now we have prayed about homeschooling, we definitely would homeschool if God clearly led us that way, but God hasn’t and for right now I’m glad about that.

And about being a Christian, maybe this ranting and raving sheds a bad light on me as a Christian, but I think really the world is looking for honesty, at least that’s what has always been attractive to me in other people. I mean after all, look at the Psalms. Every emotion in the big is there, so thank you, Lord Jesus, for loving me and for continuing your work in me so I become more like You. That’s what being a Christian is about – loving God and bringing Him glory. It’s not about putting God or anyone else in a box. So there.:)