Apology

Some People want nothing to do with being a Christian because of their experience with their parents, people they know, those they have encountered, or even worse, people at church who have hurt them in the past. I am so sorry for every time you have been hurt or disappointed by those who have not represented Christ well in your life.

The things I am about to share are not a justification for what has happened to you, only an attempt to explain how some of it may have come about.

I wish we all lived in a place of perfection in how we treated others once we became Christians, but that isn't the reality. We often read the Bible through lenses we have picked up through our journey in life, and they cause us to read and see the Bible in a certain way and then live our lives outside the intent of it. In reality, we are all broken to some degree and are attempting to walk out our lives as Christians the best we can with where were at. This reason does not make it right or OK, but it may help us understand why these people have done what they have done. We are not powerless in this situation; we can pray that their hearts will open to God's truth, that their filters will be removed, that their hearts will soften to His love, and that their lives will come into alignment with His will and word. This is an excellent prayer for us ALL, as most people who are deceived are living or believing something wrongly and don't know they are. I pray these types of prayers for myself, as my desire is not to be deceived or live wrongly, and if I am, I want God to show me the truth.

Then there's the reality that abusers often position themselves in places like churches, schools, or hospitals, anywhere in life really, and they hurt or take advantage of people. Some use Christianity as a front to have access to people to hurt them. The hard for us to understand truth is that God loves them as well, and they have most likely experienced horrific things and continue to perpetuate that which has been done to them. There could be other explanations, but that is the only one I am going to focus on in this writing. Jesus does want them to repent and desires to heal their hearts. I look to God's leading and discernment for this type of thing. How do I feel when I am around this person? Do I have a check in my spirit that something is off? We don't reject people if we feel these things, as there could be other explanations for what we are sensing, but we can position ourselves in a place where we will be protected if we are indeed discerning rightly.

There is also the reality that in life, we are going to experience pain on some level, but we, as Christians, have the greatest comforter available to us in the Holy Spirit! God's word does not say that we will not experience pain but that He will be there with us and comfort us. See the FAQ section if you have questions about how God can be good and still let bad things happen to people.

If this writing is hitting a cord within you, I would ask you to consider opening your heart up to the perfect one, Jesus, and consider being in a relationship with Him. Be honest with Him in your conversations about what you think and have experienced. Nothing is too hard for Him, and He can handle the things you want to share. He can bring healing to those hurt and broken places, He can help you forgive and let go of the bitterness that has come due to these things, and you can instead let His love and healing come into those places and be free.