Laugh or Cry?

We had our gathering last night and had someone from church join us. She is such a sweet lady and God is definately calling her to Himself. I wanted to share this story illustrate the guilt that religion uses to motivate people.

Our friend was confirmed in the Catholic church as an adult, but never attended after that. She feels like God is calling her to something and is trying to sort it out. When she heard we had a gathering in our house she wanted to come and check it out. I told her just bring her Bible and we would hang out together....

So, we shared our stories of how Jesus found us and how we came to be at the church we attend. We talked about the struggles of life and trusting in God through them. So I got out my Bible and turned to Matthew 6 to read about seeking the Kingdom of God instead of being anxious... I asked our friend how comfortable she was with the Bible, knowing that most of the Catholics in our area know very little about the Bible....

She said she didn't know much then she proceeded to get honest....She said, "Actually, I went out and bought this Bible today so I would have one. I took it home and ruffled the pages so you guys would think I had read it before..." I just smiled and was glad she felt comfortable enough with us to honest. To me that was the good stuff!

After thinking about it though I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I'm not putting our friend down at all. I had a starting place in my journey too. I know where she is at. Been there. Wanting to fit in and thinking there are expectations of what it means to be "Christian." Knowing that God is calling you, but afraid to let be yourself becuase you were afraid of what people would think.... There was a time I would have done the same thing....that made me smile.

The tragedy is that had she not come to our house last night, she might have attended the IC for years and never even cracked a Bible. Not only that, but the guilt that motivated her to do that makes my heart break. The good news is that she was glad to know that we were "real people" who struggled, had holes in their couch becuase we can't afford a new one, have kids who aren't perfectly obedient etc.

It was so nice to put her at ease just by being me. Not hiding our faults and shortcomings, while at the same time making it known that we are trying to love God, each other and our neighbor. That is my goal. I feel like I am on the right track: Being myself, loving God, letting Him love me, learning to trust Him, and sharing that love with friends and neighbors. It seems so simple. It is. It is also extremely satisfying.