Being from a Christian family, I quickly understood how pressuring and difficult it was to be a Christian. There were times when I truly felt encaged in a cell trying to break free from all the religious talks and ceremonies that I would attend every Sunday night. I would often ask myself, "Why must I go through this hardship?" as it seemed in those times, while my friends are enjoying themselves with movies, parties, and girls. "Is being a Christian truly worth it?" In the long run, the answer is "yes." Yet, it took my entire childhood years to finally realize this epiphany.
To some people, being a Christian means no drinking, no late night movies with friends, no partying, etc. However, Christianity isn't about just rules and regulations. It is about having a connection and relationship with God. It may be hard to understand, at first, what exactly it means to bond with a spiritual being, one whom we cannot see with the naked eye. That may lead us to question who or what is God? Is he alive? The answer to the latter is yes. For the former, one must embark on his or her own journey to reveal what God has in place for him or her. This certainly requires perseverance and patience. But in the end, He is sure to reveal his presence to those who truly seek Him.
A good friend of mine once told me of his relationship struggles with his first, true love. Interestingly, they met at a local cafe in their first year of college. After sharing some talks, they realized they had many aspects in common in terms of similar culture, same food preferences, same language, etc. However, while my friend was a devout Christian, she was not. At a certain point, a fight broke out. While she wanted to be more socially active on Sundays, my friend decided to attend church services. As this issue prolonged for a few years, the two soon broke up. He was severely heart-broken since he truly believed that she was the one for him. When I met him afterward, he was no longer the friend I knew. His posture became like that of a sloth and his face showed a state of intense misery.
The best I could think of soothing him was offering a word of advice: seek help from God for He is good. At first, I had no hope for him. If he were the type to stay home and refuse to leave, why would he spend him time praying for help? However, he seemed to have been extremely love-sick that he couldn't handle the pain any longer, and he turned to God for help. When I asked him about his approach, he answered, "He asked me, 'Do you believe in me?' and I cried out 'Yes'." He knew that what he really needed was God's companionship and he was sure he'd receive it. Immediately, I felt a change in his tone and mood. He allowed his friends to visit him who provided words of wisdom and advice. Within a week, he returned to being the socially outgoing person he originally was. He understood that true recuperation starts from accepting others and seeking help from God.
Christians are expected to remain sinless and stray away from Earthly pleasures wherever they go. Many, even Christians themselves, believe that Christians end up in heaven or hell depending on how much good deeds they perform. This is very misleading. Good deeds are a result of being a devout Christian and should not be the prior goal. It is rather believing in God and that he is our savior. We must understand that we, human beings, alone are helpless under God's domain. But with Him, all things are made possible. This, in essence, is the simple key to entering His kingdom. This is what it means to be a Christian.
