I am not religious, I am saved by grace.

Now, let me explain to you what I mean by this.

I have been dubbed the "church girl" for basically my whole life. Growing up, most people knew I believed in God, read my bible, attended youth group, valued good morals and went to church every Sunday. A crime? Certainly not. But it's not exactly normal either.

You see, I grew up with the notion that there are two kinds of people in the world: religious people and everyone else. I, apparently fell into the "religious" category. This could probably be because of my consistent church attendance and unwillingness to give into peer pressure.

I hated being called "religious" because I knew what it meant to others. It meant I viewed myself as higher than others. It meant I traded a fun life for rules and restrictions. It meant I looked down on others for their wrong doings. In my mind though, I wasn't better than anyone else. I had an exciting life of my own and I never looked down on people for their struggles because I had plenty of my own to deal with. The difference between myself and others was that I knew my purpose on this earth and wasn't willing to compromise it.

Let me define a religious person for you. Then let me explain to you why I am not that. The word religious is defined by Google as, "a person bound by monistic vows." Paraphrased, I would define this as someone who follows rules because their devotion to one god tells them to do it. A religious person tries to live a good life in hopes that they may please their god. They practice constant submission, fearing the wrath of their god if they disappoint him.

The life of an individual who is saved by grace looks completely different. They are not bound by their beliefs, they are freed. Simply put, to be "saved by grace" is to recognize that any attempt to live their lives apart from the one, true God is a wasted effort. We are a sinful people. This can be traced back to Eve eating the apple against God's instruction in the Garden of Eden. From that day on, every person who has walked this earth has lived without an automatic connection to the Lord... until Jesus came. When Jesus died on the cross, He took on the penalty of our sin so that we could have access to spending an eternity in heaven with Him. Discovering the grace of God (Jesus dying on the cross for our sins without even being asked to) allows individuals to not live in fear any longer.

Once an individual gives their life to God and is "saved by grace," they are freed in every other area of their life. They recognize the difference between following God and disobeying Him. They yearn to obey Him because they fearlessly love Him. It's hard to understand how I lived without God at one point in my life. In no way am I restricted or weighed down by my Lord. Serving Him is a privilege. Knowing my past, present and future are held in His perfect hands is the biggest comfort I could ask for. I am undeserving, yet unendingly thankful everyday.

I'm not going to yell at you for calling me religious. In the eyes of the world, I am no different that individuals who serve other gods and follow other rules. But I know who I serve. I know He is the only God and I know He loves me with a crazy, outrageous love. I am not shackled by my faith in God; I am freed daily from the worries of the world.

I wish I could share all the joys an individual can experience when they ask God to enter their hearts. Forgive me for not sharing this life-saving news with every soul on the planet. I am still human, I still fear what others think of me. But for anyone listening: Jesus is there, waiting for you. He's waiting to free you. He's waiting to love you. He's waiting to be your Jesus.