The other day, I had to make a trip to the bank. And if you’ve ever taken a trip to the bank, it can sometimes be a long process. There were a few others waiting for me, so naturally I started listening in on their conversation (creepy, maybe?). For some reason, these guys decided to bring me in on their conversation about the one guy's crazy girlfriend. It was very interesting, so I engaged. Somehow the conversation went from crazy girlfriend to talking about Jesus. That’s normal, right?

I am a Christian. I’ve been a Christian my whole life. So as I began to engage in this conversation, this man's first question was, “What’s your denomination?” I simply responded to him by saying “I don’t really claim a denomination, I just love Jesus.”

So this brings me right to a topic that has been on my mind for weeks. I’ve had a lot of conversations over the past year with different people who are so turned off just from hearing the word “Christian.” Automatically they hear “judgment,” and fear automatically settles in. As I talked to this guy, after I told him I was a Christian, his whole demeanor changed towards me. He began apologizing every time he said something remotely offensive or inappropriate as if I was going to strike him down or look at him with judgmental eyes.

Here’s the thing: I totally get that Christians can be judgmental, overbearing, intimidating, etc. But I think everyone is missing the point.

The word Christian originates from a Greek word that translates into “little Christ.” Basically, as Christians, we are supposed to imitate Christ. Or like the Greek word…we are to be little Christs. If you look at His character, you’ll have a guideline of what a Christian is to work toward. He is loving, gentle, kind, faithful, wise, compassionate, forgiving, committed, humble, etc. Those are just a few of the many words that describe God. Since He is all-powerful, I don’t even think I could begin to tell you about every single one of His traits.

Here’s the thing about it, though, we (Christians) are merely humans. Just like non-believers, we mess up too. We have doubts. We lose hope at times when things get hard. We get anxious, lose trust, and sometimes say things we shouldn’t say. In the midst of pursuing Christ, sometimes we get really caught up in our own works and start to look down on others. Because we aren’t perfect. Because we aren’t CHRIST.

Without Christ, I would not be able to do the things I do. On my own, I am weak. There isn’t much good in me…But God, He lives in my heart…and He is GOOD.

Christians aren’t “better” than anyone else.

We try…really hard, to meet this goal that was set before us. We do our best to make moral decisions in a world that does the complete opposite. We fight off our fleshly desires every day because we have learned it brings us pain and hurt…not because following God is some “boring” thing. Most of us have walked the path of the world, and it left us empty. But God did not. He gave us purpose and life and hope when we thought there was nothing else left for us.

So to the rest of the world, we may not make sense. And sometimes, it’s hard to make sense of it all as a Christian. We stumble and fall just like the rest of the world…but we have learned what it means to lean on something other than ourselves and try again.

So, as a Christian, I want to apologize to the world for the bad perspective we may have given you. I am sorry if you’ve ever felt rejected, downcast, or judged by a Christian. Please do not let that change your perspective of Christ. He does not reject you; rather, He is waiting to welcome you into His arms and show you love. Because in the end, it isn’t about a “denomination” or religion, it’s all about Him. His name deserves to be glorified. We are just here to point people to Him, even when we aren’t perfect at doing so.

My prayer is that more Christians will rise up and redefine the world's perspective of what it means to follow Christ. Fellow believers, please join me in shining your light for Christ in a dark world that needs it. It’s not about being better than anyone, but it’s about directing others toward the Creator of the universe. It’s not about being perfect because there is the only One who is perfect. It’s about surrendering our lives every day, trusting that He will make beautiful things out of imperfect humans like us, all for His glory.