Christianity

I’m tired of hearing the word
“Christian”
I don’t want to hear about your
Christianity,
I want to see it.

 
You can tell me you’re a Christian
until you’re blue in the face
but if I never see it
I won’t believe it.

 
It makes me sick to think
that I can’t be proud to call
myself a Christian in this society.

 
To know that friends
that are gay,
that do drugs,
that abuse alcohol,
have sex freely,
or even lie, cheat, or steal
would turn their backs on me
the instant I told them
I was a Christian.
Because all they’ve heard about
Christians,
in the news
on the tv
on the streets
is that they’re
bigoted
hateful
hypocrites
with no room in their hearts
for love;
that the only thing they can expect
from Christians
are malicious words and actions.

 

I want to know when
Jesus was taken out of
Christianity.
 

When “love the Lord your God
with all your heart
and Love your neighbor as yourself”
became
judge everyone
and
condemn everyone to hell.

 
When
treating others better than yourself
by putting everyone else before you
through humble service
became
love yourself first
and
throw everyone else
under the bus.

 
I want to know why
homosexuality
became a worse sin than
telling a white lie,
or silently hating an acquaintance.

 
Because I’ve learned my entire life
that sin
is sin
and there is no scale
to rank it on
because the punishment
for all sin,
no matter your definition,
is
death.

 
To lie
is to submit yourself
to death.
To think an unkind word about
another human,
to hold onto a grudge,
or refuse to do the simple tasks
your parents have asked of you,
is to submit yourself
to death.

 
I want to know why
preaching the gospel
became
more important than living
the gospel.

 
I want to know when Christianity
will return to the Bible
and not the just parts that
we like
or the parts
that are easy
because I don’t know about you
but when I became a Christian
God didn’t call me
to live easily,
comfortably, or
self reliantly.

 
But rather
the God of the universe
came down and lived
on the earth
and was tempted
with every sin
that could ever exist
and suffered through
the abandonment
of friends
and family
so that I could
live for Him,

 
love for Him.

 
The God of the universe,
the one that created humanity,
submitted himself
to his very creation
and allowed them
to torment him,
destroy him,
and crucify him
so that he could save them
because he loved them,

 
because he loves us.

 
I don’t believe the God
who went through
that suffering
wants me to stomp on the
gift of life
and throw it into the trash
because I’ve decided
that my comfort
is more important
than the sacrifice
of my perfect God’s life
in exchange for my
grimy
grotesque
greedy
one.

 
I believe that love,
unconditional,
relentless,
unending love
is what I’m here to give
and not necessarily receive.

 
I believe that love,
is more important
than the sin I committed today
or yesterday,
or what sin I’ll commit
tomorrow.

 
I believe that if I am going to be
concerned with the sin of others
I should be concerned
because I want to see them in heaven with me
resting in the perfect love of Christ
not because I think I’m god
and can tell them to go to hell.

 
I want to be a Christian
that dies
because people couldn’t handle
the radical love I had to give,
not because
I was vicious with actions
and words.

 
I want Christianity to return
to the basics
and stand out
because it’s unthinkable
to love someone
unconditionally
but hate the way they
abuse themselves
and others
because someone out there
loves them in an incomprehensible
way.
Someone out there
thinks them more beautiful
than all the stars in the sky
and finds them worth more
than this entire
universe.
And that same someone
has His heart broken every time
his beloveds chose
to hurt themselves
and Him.

 
Christianity needs to return to true love.

 
Because to truly love someone
means to love
even when you don’t feel like it
and give grace
even when you don’t feel like it.
Because our God
came down to save us because

 
He chose to love us
before we were born
even though he knew we’d stomp
all over his heart
everyday.

 
Because my God chose to
love me
even though I screw up daily
because I’m imperfect in every way.
Because my God loves me
even though I give him
millions of reasons not to.
Because my God
loved me,

 
loved us,

 
enough to die.

Comments

Iamjustme

This is awesome.

Additional Resources

Get AI Feedback on your poem

Interested in feedback on your poem? Try our AI Feedback tool.
 

 

If You Need Support

If you ever need help or support, we trust CrisisTextline.org for people dealing with depression. Text HOME to 741741