Our generation can be characterized as one of the most open-minded generations while, at the same time, being incredibly judgmental. It seems as though we have learned to be very welcoming of people of different sexualities and styles of fashion, however, we have learned to look at those who wake up early to go to church on Sundays as the “others.”
Growing up in a Christian family, I have gone through many phases of denying my religion, of trying worldly things, and of only crying out to God when I was desperate. I have surrendered my life to Christ countless times, and have reversed to my worldly habits countless times. Happiness used to be a temporary thing, being masked with alcohol and loud music, only to leave me in a place where I questioned my existence when it wore off.
Being a 20-something-year-old and being a Christian is anything but easy, especially when you have had a taste of what everyone else is eating. It is almost like being allergic to chocolate and everyone around you is offering you some. You know it will taste good for a second, but it is a really bad idea for you to have any. You are forced to put your health before your desires, thinking about your long-term health and not a taste that may only last a second.
Unfortunately, the worst part is the part where you have changed into a completely different individual, but people continue to look at you as the person you once were. Your memories all consist of inappropriate encounters and intoxicated jokes, but these all feel very foreign to you. When people call you the “grandma” in the group because you do not like getting drunk or going to clubs on Saturday night because you have church in the morning, it stings. It is hard preferring cranberry juice over tequila, and soda over beer. You constantly feel like the outcast, like you are being looked at differently for something that you do not understand to be considered a bad thing. Being a 20-something-year-old Christian and taking time out of your day to pray and read the Bible, you can feel alone, misunderstood, and definitely misrepresented.
There is a stereotype that religious people are all bizarre individuals who cannot have fun and be a part of this generation. I am here to break this image. I listen to all kinds of non-Christian music, I love dancing. I am a 20-something-year-old Christian and I have piercings and tattoos. My best friends do not go to church with me but they are the greatest friends I have ever had and I love them dearly. This is exactly what I want everyone to learn: to love me, regardless of my religion. I find comfort in something that is much greater than me and I should not be persecuted because of it. I love you, no matter what you believe in, no matter what you do on a Saturday night, no matter what you prefer to drink at dinner. So please, please accept me for who I am, love me for who I have become.
