I love church!Whoa, I can't believe I just said that...
Two years ago I would do everything I could to miss a service. I wanted to hang out with friends, make stupid decisions, and be a teenager. The last thing I wanted to do was go to church. It's been a weird love/hate relationship between me and the church. I loved all my friends and leaders at church, shoot, I even enjoyed the service. What I couldn't stand was the feeling I had every time I would walk in after doing something stupid. I knew that I wasn't living the life I should and walking into the church did nothing but make me feel guilty.
In a way, the church was doing it's job. If I was going to attend church every week and fake that I was in a deep relationship with Christ, I should feel awkward. I should feel like I need to change, like something isn't right, like there is so much more. On the other hand I shouldn't feel condemned, and I never did. As I'm older now and God has changed my life radically I see that people knew. That my pastor, friends, and leaders knew that something was wrong. They even had the discernment to know in detail what things were clouding my life. The thing is that not a single one ever condemned me. They all loved me, welcomed me, wanted to spend time with me, and tried to keep me away from the things that were holding me back.
Now that my life is different and I am an active part of my church, I love it whole heartedly. I love how when your relationship with God extends to your everyday life, church feels like a party for everyone who has been talking to God throughout the week. Church is a place to collaborate with people who have been where I have and people who are experiencing life before Christ. It's a place where I can grow, worship, and hang out with people that I will spend eternity with. It's not even about the music, sermon, or multi-media, for me it's about being in a place that feels slightly like heaven. It's a place where every race, age, and social status can come together and worship a God that transcends all creation.
I love my church.
Do you?
Go To Church,
Shane
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