Let's just be honest, things aren't looking too good for Christians in the media. Everywhere I turn, it seems there's a new story about someone raising hell (am I allowed to say that?) over something that seems pretty insignificant, all in the name of Jesus. Whether it's a Starbucks cup or the satanic messages of "Star Wars" (this one is a personal favorite of mine), it seems there is always someone out there making it near impossible to take Christians seriously. Of course, any informed news consumer understands that all humans (even reporters) are biased on some level and that there are two sides to every story (Read this article by Jesse Carey if you don't see what I mean).

Either way, I find it hard to believe that bias is the result of so many similar stories of blind hatred, ignorance, and racism towards others coming from "Christians." It hurts my heart. I cannot speak for the people mentioned in these stories, and I will try my best not to judge them, considering I don't actually know them; however, I do know the Christian brothers and sisters I know and love wouldn't be caught dead spreading hatred or violence (whether through word or deed) like so many "Christians" are being called out for in the media. That being said, here a few things I wish those not of my faith knew about me and about the true Christian beliefs I hold so dear to my heart.

First of all, it should be noted that, according to the Bible, a Christian is not just someone who believes in God, nor is it someone who strives to live a good life. Now, before you say anything, yes I believe in God, and yes I also strive to live a good life. Nevertheless, those things are not what makes me a Christian. In other words, the only thing that identifies one as a Christian is complete faith in and surrender to the person of Jesus Christ. I've added some verses below to supplement to this statement.

Romans 10:9: "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

Ephesians 2:8-9: "For by grace you have been saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves — it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one may boast."

I hope the verse from Ephesians makes my point about "good works not making you a Christian" very clear. That point cannot be stressed enough. The whole reason I came to salvation in the first place was because I recognized I couldn't be good on my own, no matter how much I desired to be. Adversely, those who do profess faith in Jesus and claim to have a relationship with Him, should gradually exhibit more and more good works and character traits as a natural result being in that relationship. Like Jesus said, "By their fruit you will recognize them," (Matthew 7:16).

In other words, being a Christian is the cause of good works and character traits I am developing (love, joy, peace, patience, etc.), not the result of them.

This is why it hurts me when I hear people see and listen to public figures like Donald Trump who openly bash women, Hispanics, Muslims, anyone from another country, anyone who doesn't agree with him, etc., and then say, oh, well you know he's a Christian right? Now, I do not know what's in his heart (although I can guess according to Luke 6:45), but I do know he publicly outed himself as not being Christian, by saying he has never asked God for forgiveness.

So can we all please stop using him as an example of what a Christian looks like?

Next, I want to discuss my reason for being a Christian. And I hope to make it clear that I am not a Christian to make me a good person. After all, there are good people that are not Christians, correct? Now, before you say that may sound contradictory to a point I made earlier concerning how I first realized I needed Jesus, hear me out.

When I first accepted Jesus, I had no idea where He would take me. All I knew was I had done some terrible things, and I needed to be free of those. The weight of life, even at thirteen years old, just seemed too heavy a burden to bear. Life was just not fulfilling to me, and, I thought, there had to be something more. Then, one night after months of reading my Bible struggling to figure it all out, I felt a tangible Presence over me. I finally felt ready to turn my life over to Christ, and I did so gladly.

In the six years I have spent being a Christian since then, I have experienced unreasonable joy, reckless hope, astounding stability, lavish Love, and breath-taking freedom. Things I didn't even know existed beforehand. So, knowing what I know now, I would say these things are why I am a Christian — not because I use Christianity to make me a good person.

In addition, I would like to go ahead and admit — yes, I am a hypocrite. Well, sort of. Just because you become a Christian doesn't mean you become something other than a human. And you know what humans do? They make mistakes. Let's just take some people from the Bible for examples.

-David: committed adultery, had the woman's husband murdered, known as "man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22)

-Abraham: slept with his maidservant to try to fulfill God's promise to Him on his own terms; chosen as the "father of many nations" (Genesis 17:5)

-Paul: brutally murdered Christians up until he became one himself; "God's chosen instrument" to spread his Word (Acts 9:15)

-Rahab: prostitute in a pagan city, later became a beautiful picture of the fullness of God's grace and redemption, included in the lineage of Jesus Christ (Joshua 2, Matthew 1)

See what I mean? We still mess up. The difference is, we always have God's grace to pick us back up, wipe our slate clean, and start anew. In other words, the people I talked about above did some horrible things, but they didn't stay there. They asked for God's forgiveness, moved on, and did incredible things!

Furthermore, being a Christian does not make me ignorant/nonintellectual. Just because I believe in things that seem outlandish to you, doesn't mean I am unaware of the world around me. I love to read and understand and learn about everything, and I don't shy away from knowledge for fear that it will unravel my faith. If anything, being well-informed and inquisitive helps me strengthen my faith, so I can make sure I believe what I do for myself and not just because it has been passed down to me.

Last but not least, I hope others who don't share my faith can understand that just because we may disagree on some things, doesn't mean I can't still love, support, and appreciate you. It shouldn't come as a surprise that Christians and non-Christians are not going to see eye-to-eye on everything. There are many things we hold different beliefs about, and if we wish to stay true to our convictions, there will always be some disagreement. But please don't assume that us not agreeing with you means that we somehow dislike or fear you. This is not at all the case! As a Christian myself, I see any non-believer as being just as valuable and precious as the next person, and, even though we may have different opinions, it doesn't change the bond we share just by being a part of humanity.

I hope this has been enlightening for anyone who has taken the time to read it, and I hope you appreciate open conversation on topics such as these as much as I do. Until next time!