Growing up I struggled with the idea that there were "Christians" in the church that were not acting very Christian like. I actually stopped going to church as a teenager because I didn't see many people who were doing what they were "supposed to be doing." As a teenager I saw people (in my very large church) swear, be mean, not read their Bible, act greedy, have affairs, get divorced, walk away from God, not help others in need...pretty much any sin that can be a sin...there was someone who did it. As a teenager I became very distrusting of the whole "church" thing. I stopped attending.
Fast forward 10+ years and I'm 27. It's a long story to explain how and why my husband and I "came back" or became interested in God again. But this post is more about expectations and maturity than it is about my spiritual path. One of the main things I realized as I matured is that we all make mistakes, and we have the opportunity to do so hundreds of times a day.
One of the best comparisons I can make to explain why Christians sin has to do with food. How many adults know what food they should be eating to stay or become healthy? I'm guessing most of us do. How many of us, including myself, find it difficult to eat the right food over and over again? I know that I eat up to 10 times a day. I may wander into the kitchen and have a few bites of something here and there. My point is that there are many times throughout the day when you have to make the right decision about eating the right food. Even if you fail just one time, you've failed to eat completely healthy for the day. I think we can all agree that having a cupcake isn't the end of the world. But what if you're a personal trainer? What if you're trying to be a role model to your co-workers or kids? What will they say when they walk in on you eating that huge cupcake covered in frosting? They might say, "See, I knew you didn't eat healthy every minute of every day." Or, "Mom, why do you make me eat carrots when you get to eat a cupcake for snack time." This standard that we hold people to when they say they are "healthy eaters" or "on a diet" is similar to the standard I was holding Christians to.
This comparison is striking for me. I expected every "Christian" in the church (or self-proclaimed) to make the right decision every minute of every day. I expected every Christian to never be mean, always give to the needy, never get divorced, always read the Bible....etc. When it comes to actually acting like a Christian, we have the opportunity to do so almost every hour of every day. That's a lot of "RIGHT" choices to make every single hour of every single day. Similarly, a cocaine addict faces the same dilemma. They feel the need to use sometimes every minute of every day for a period of time. What an amazing task for them to say "No" over and over and over again to the thing they most want to do. I call myself a "Christian" but am unable at times to control my anger and I lash out at a co-worker, for example.
As I am maturing I'm learning that I can't expect people to make perfect choices. In fact, the entire idea of being a Christian has to do with the fact that we can't be perfect.
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