There are many things that are frustrating within the church, as I’m sure many of you know. Now I do believe that there is grace — that is unstoppable for everyone but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stop being stupid… plus, that means that there are better ways to show the grace that we say we have. No matter what you believe or don’t believe I think that this is relatable to all of us, so holllllaaaaaaaaa at me if you think so. Here’s five — trust me, there are a lot more but I figured I’d save them for later.
- Picketing: I think it is time to realize that picketing literally does nothing. I don’t think that I have ever heard of one person saying how much a picketer has helped/positively influenced their life. Maybe I’m wrong but I doubt it, you tell me. You need to realize that no one cares, literally no one cares about you, your sign and what your message is. That’s just reality but I think once you realize that you will feel free. You can actually love the people you point your sign at, instead of pointing a sign at them as they walk down the pier you can instead walk down with them and get to know them. Maybe actually make some friends that don’t think the same as you?
- Lying: No you are not a good person, I don’t care how much you have donated or how many social media posts you have about how good you are. You are fake like the rest of us. Church you don’t have to lie, you can be yourself we have the love and grace to do that yet we constantly pretend we don’t. Your worth, value and identity is not based on your actions or mistakes you are free to live in the reality that you have created for yourself and others. Please join us and stop lying, you don’t have to. Be real and try to connect with other sinners, the only way to be heard is for people to actually care about what you are saying. The only way to that road is not care if people care what you are saying and to genuinely love them getting to know who they are. Stop lying and stop caring about your image, it sucks anyways just like the rest of us. Get over yourself.
- Judging: Every church should have mirrors everywhere. We should constantly be reminded that we are all on the same playing field. Everyone is a sinner, blah blah blah so cliché yea I know we say it but don’t believe it. You need to really sit and think about who you are and the things you have done, hidden or not. We all have our choices of things that aren’t necessarily the best for our life whether its internal or external doesn’t matter. It makes no sense to judge others outside the church, of course they don’t hold to your beliefs? By definition they don’t so why would you put some sort of expectation on someone when they aren’t claiming it? Doesn’t make sense. Plus the church loves to judge those within it as well. They like to look down on those that “sin more,” those that read their bible less, those that don’t attend every single meeting and so on and so on. Just stop. There is no standard or way we are to be, the standard got nailed to a cross I think were good on that end.
- Trying: This is kind of an ironic piece that I’m writing because these are my judgments against the church as well, but I’m a hypocrite so it’s all good. Grace doesn’t mean we can’t call things what they are though, it actually gives us the ability to call things what they are because there is grace to cover it. On that note I am sick of seeing pictures of people’s bibles, coffee and how they are so blessed because they went to church on Sunday. I don’t care and neither does anyone else, unless they are just like you in that same circle affecting no one and infecting everyone with your self-centered self-focused disease. Stop trying to be this perfect person that you put on display, its unnecessary and distracting from the real goal of faith in the one who was perfect for us. The only people who care about your bible reading are those that also read the bible so think about how many people you are cutting off. I don’t care if you read your bible just don’t tell me every time. Tell me about how you are reading things others are reading, tell me how you are understanding the culture, tell me how you are listening to music that moves the culture not just randomly. (Sorry side note but for example I see people posting the song Blessings by Chance recently because it now fits their mental categories? What. The. Fuck. Listen to artists not only when they fit your beliefs but even when they don’t) (another side note, I should probably read that a couple more times because I hate Kanye but that’s a different struggle for a different time) Anyways back to my point, stop trying to be something just be you.
- Obeying: Now religious people really wont like this one but I mean it! Y'all are too focused on obeying that you lose sight of the one who obeyed in your place. Now you may look at my life and say Blake you have taken this too far… I might agree but then again I might not because it’s advantageous for me not too but the point is the same. I see people so focused on obeying that they attend like 5-6 services or activities every week at their church. When do you have time for life? When do you have time for the rest of us sinners out here in the real world? So focused on obeying that you miss the opportunity to reach people, which apparently is supposed to be the whole point of your obedience. I don’t know I get confused sometimes watching religious people, like their obedience is really going to draw people to them? Start sharing your sin rather than your obedience. No one cares if you didn’t touch yourself last night, no one cares if you didn’t look at porn, no one cares if you didn’t argue with your wife, no one cares if you didn’t take that lunchable from Vons, no one cares if you didn’t watch the nude scenes in Game of Thrones, no one cares. The one relatable thing in humanity is sin not obedience. So talk about it and risk your life as if it has already been purchased. Risk it as if no matter what you did you were still going to be loved. You just might find that you have a lot in common with us sinners.
The church will most likely always struggle with these things, and so will we. We are humans, we are weak and we are easily lost and confused. But the more we remind ourselves of these things maybe we can grow and maybe we can show the world this grace that we have received. Not through our picketing, lying, judging, trying or obedience but through our shared sinfulness and humanity. I could be wrong but then again this sounds better to me than any of the shit yall are spewing. The more we stop these things the more we can live in the freedom that we have been called to, will we answer?
