You probably know a Christian.
Maybe your parents were Christians, maybe you went to Catholic School, or maybe you've just seen the Westboro Baptist Church on the news,
But if you live in America, you probably have a good idea of what most Christians are like.
I just wanted to say, I've seen the news too, and I want to apologize.
If you've ever felt judged, shunned, stereotyped, belittled, or shamed by Christians, I am so, so sorry. Being rude, or "holier than thou," or shoving beliefs down people's throats is not at all what Christianity is about.
Christianity is about loving people. That's it; it's about laying down our life for others. It's not about selling you something, telling you that you're wrong, or making you conform to our belief system; it's about compassion and love.
God is not Hate, God is not angry, God is not mean; God is Love.
Jesus was the example of God's heart for you, and He died for you. If a Christian person ever treats you in a way other than laying their life down for you, then they are not acting like a Christian at that moment.
Us Christians are imperfect, and so we are often look at as hypocrites, and so I'm sorry for that, but we're trying to look more like love, and less like pride, and that's a long process sometimes.
Jesus wasn't an angry fun killer or a judgmental picketer; He accepted the most hated (like the tax collectors prostitutes) and least valued people (like the Samaritans, women, and little children).
Jesus came not to condemn people, but to save people. He came to set the captives free; He is the prince of peace, and He loves you. He loves you more than you love yourself, more than you can understand, and more than I could ever describe to you.
It may sound cheesy to you, and you might not grasp what I mean by saying this, but God loves you, so much, He doesn't care what you've done, what you look like, or who you are, He knows you deeply, and He wants to spend the rest of your life with you.
I know you probably have been hurt by someone in the church, you've felt judged by your bible-toting neighbor, or you've seen those picketers by soldier's graves, but please know that God sees that too, and every time someone is hurt He feels it deeper than we do.
God is your Father, and He loves you, and He died for you so you could be who you were made to be, so you wouldn't be a slave to fear and pain anymore, so you could stop crying and know you are loved.
He doesn't want you to be depressed, he doesn't want you to cut, he doesn't want you to be addicted to alcohol, or pornography, or self-hate, or anything. He wants you to be happy and free, He wants you to find love again, He wants you to see yourself as awesome as He sees you are.
He doesn't care if you're gay, He doesn't care if you do drugs, He doesn't care if you're Muslim. He simply, unceasingly, and ridiculously loves you, and He wants to win your heart.
I'm sorry that church people get it wrong sometimes, I'm sorry that people say they love Jesus and then turn around and act like all they love are themselves, I'm sorry that Christians have shamed, judged, or insulted you. because that's not what Christianity is. Christianity is love.
So I am so, so sorry, and I just want to say that God loves you, and all He wants for you is to stop hurting and come into His arms.
