Going back to the basics
Going back to the basics…
This is what I’ve spent the last 7 years doing and honestly? It was the deciding factor for whether I would turn away from my faith or dive into it deeper.
Yes, you read that right! There was a time when I wasn’t sure Christianity was something I wanted to be a part of. Actually, I was quite confident it was something I absolutely did not want to be a part of.
A ruthless checklist, leading a perfect life, living up to man-made standards, being utterly empty and exhausted, and constant emotional highs and lows, I knew that this was not a religious system I was going to spend my whole life a part of. I simply couldn’t, I was worn down to the bone.
I was about to turn away but…
I was too curious.
So many people, for generations, have lived their life proclaiming and holding Christianity dear to their heart. There had to be something I was missing. I was a curious gal and really couldn’t let myself leave completely without diving in for myself.
And then begins my *deconstruction* era. (This would probably be like the third or fourth era on my own eras tour. I’ve had quite a few, ha!) It’s a scary word and concept, I know!! And honestly? It’s an even scarier process. Because what if something you’ve based your whole life on turns out to not be the complete truth? What if you find out you’ve been lied to whether intentionally or not? What if the Jesus and/or God I’ve always known Him to be isn’t quite what I thought?
There were so many negative “what ifs” that swirled through my mind. I hadn’t thought of any of the positives. So let me give you a few…
What if I become closer to Jesus? What if I learn the concept of Grace? What if I end up finding peace, love, joy, and hope in the process and can turn away from works, stress, and exhaustion? What if this completely solidifies the state of my faith?
All of these “what ifs,” both the positive and negative, ended up being something I had to face head on.
Where did the problem lie?
I grew up in church, started Sunday School while I was still in diapers, my family even helped plant a church, it seemed like I was doing all the right things but it came down to the simple fact that I didn’t know who Jesus was.
One of the things I’ve explored during this ~era~ is questioning how I could be a follower of Christ if I haven’t spent time learning who He was during His time on earth. I chose to dive into the book of John!
I began to see the heart Jesus had towards people and knew that was ABSOLUTELY something I wanted to be a part of.
The way He filled needs, loved people, valued people, saw everyone as equal, and ultimately gave His life for people, was something I had never seen and truly realized before. This was the greatest peace and power I had ever experienced.
I had spent my whole life trying to please rather than getting to know Jesus.
For some reason, we often seem to want to measure sermons based on how bad or “challenged” it makes you feel by the end of it.
May we stop marking how good a sermon is based on how “convicted” it makes you feel but rather by how valuable it shows you that you are.
I pull this concept from John Chapter 8. This happens to be one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. Another shameless plug, (mostly because I think it could help you grow closer to Jesus!) I just published my first Christian poetry book and one poem sums up how this chapter has and continues to impact me. It says:
my world always
becomes silent
when i read
“neither do i condemn thee”
to know the one
who could condemn
doesn’t
is a type of love
i’ve never experienced
anywhere else.
This is inspired by John 8:11
“She said, no man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more:”
Neither do I condemn thee. Let those 4 words sink in…
Often, Christianity has become a contest of who can be the least condemnable when it should really be the fight to love people in a counter-cultural way.
Jesus makes a point to leave us with a new commandment in John 13:34-35 which says:
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
We see it again in John 15:12
“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”
And again in John 15:17
“ These things I command you, that ye love one another.”
This seems like one of the biggest concepts to Jesus, so why wouldn’t it be the same for me?
This is where my ~deconstruction era ~ has landed me. It landed me in the middle of some of the sweetest truths known to man. Jesus’s whole life on earth was spent pursuing loving others well. So well that he actually laid His entire life down and was crucified so that you could be reconciled back to God. He was the absolute embodiment of love.
I believe the call of the Christian is to love others well. Everything else falls under that umbrella. If you love others well, you’ll want to share the Gospel with them. If you love others well, you’ll want to help them and fill needs. If you love others well, people will see a difference in you.
Loving people in a radical way is counter-cultural and I’m not just talking about secular culture.
Whether you’re in a season of deconstruction, questioning, or you are solid in faith, going back to the basics is going to be the best thing you’ve ever done. Get back to Jesus. That’s where our walks start so why would we try to go anywhere besides running to Him?
If you want some help in this process, I’d encourage you to order a copy of my new book, “Where I Find Rest.” It helps walk you through Jesus’s life and is really just a compilation of all the beautiful things the Lord showed me while going through the book of John. Now available on Amazon!
ORDER A COPY OF “WHERE I FIND REST” HERE!
