I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for the time a Christian, or an Adventist was mean to you. I'm so sorry for the way they judged you, they judged your clothes, your family, your background, or something you said. I'm sorry for the way the church hurt you- the way it caused you to question if you wanted to know Jesus? I'm sorry for the time you visited church and it wasn't friendly. I'm sorry that you didn't feel reached by the community of believers. And I'm sorry, for the time I misrepresented Jesus to you.
Let me tell you that my Savior is so different from the way people make Him seem sometimes. He is so loving and so good. He is fair, honest, and just- sin has no power in comparison to His glory. He is just and full of unending grace and love.
I've been there before where I felt shameful and unaccepted. I was afraid to meet Jesus because I expected condemnation. Like the woman who was an adulterer- I was ready for the stones, for the judgement I believed I deserved... And yet when I met Jesus. He knelt in the sand, next to me. He touched my hands, touched my heart, changed my life, set me free.
And I hope that no human being- can ever keep you away from getting to know Christ. Because the moment you reach out to meet Him, He will embrace you, showering you with a love you've never known. He knows everything about you and yet deeply desires you anyways.
I was thinking though, about some reasons why Christians could be rude and mean and here are my top ideas. I'm definitely welcome to any thoughts on this issue.
1. Cold Christians? You try to talk to them and they answer with short sentences, they don't smile at you or welcome you? I believe that for many individuals they don't do this on purpose but I think that we can't accept and reach out to others until we feel fully accepted in the church ourselves. When we are living in a Christian "performance" we are so focused on making our own friends and doing the right things that we don't intentionally realize we are called to look around and be welcoming and kind to others. Then you also just have shy people, who are normally perceived as being cold or not liking socialization.
2. Judgmental Christians? These Christians may be trying to earn their Christianity with works. They may have been in the church for a while and developed very strict rules for themselves that help them keep closer to what they think Christ is like. It is easy with these rule regulated individuals who are constantly judging themselves and creating this high standard to give off an attitude of judgement. Until an individual accepts the grace of God in abundance it is difficult to extend grace and compassion to others. If we are feeling judged there is also a good possibility that we feel this way not because of what they are doing, but because of personal fears ourselves and comparisons to others.
3. Boxed Christians. Boxed Christians are super sheltered and struggle to talk to people who aren't raised like them. They get freaked out with words like "alcohol" "movies" "lesbian" and "meat." Thus severely limiting their friendships to Christians who are like them. It's not always that the box Christians don't like you; they just often don't understand. Box Christians may be afraid or intimidated by unboxed individuals because they don't know what to say or how to reach out. Boxed Christians may be hesitant to meet you anywhere other than Bible studies or church because they don't want to give you the wrong idea- they don't want to care too much or worry about rules they have been taught since they were young.
4. Nominal Christians. Many people who claim to know Jesus don't really know Jesus. So in a typical church you need to consider that many of the people you meet, aren't actually living like Jesus- thus they may not be demonstrating the fruits of the spirit that God calls us to represent. These nominal Christians give Christians a bad rap in general by playing the same games as the rest of the world but knowing how to put on a show for church and/or Sabbath.
5. Sinners. That's you; that's me. The reality is every Sabbath school teacher, preacher, and priest sins and falls short of the glory of God. Although it's probably not their intention to hurt you, the probability that it will happen is highly likely.
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