Why I Was Intimidated by Christians
How many of you out there are or were intimidated by churches? I used to be intimidated by Christians. It wasn’t because I wasn’t raised in one or didn’t believe in God. I was simply intimidated by the weekly and in some cases daily “church-goers.” You know the ones I am talking about- the ones that can quote a bible verse, verbatim, according to what problem you are going through. Those people use to scare the Holy Spirit right out of me! I used to compare myself to them as a Christian and I’d say, “Wow, they’re more “Christian” than me.” But I realized that’s not the case at all. The key to being a Christian is spreading love and the good word of Jesus. While the bible is our guide, it’s one of many tools God gave us to connect with each other and Him.
I grew up in the Catholic Church. My grandmother is a very devout catholic and probably one of the most faithful Christians I know. She was very intimidating growing up because she would always used God to teach lessons. As a teenager trying to become a man without a father, the concept of God was sometimes too big to grasp. I looked at my friends and in my neighborhood- there was maybe one family that went to church regularly. When I went to my grandma’s house on the weekend one stipulation was that I had to go church. Looking back at my life, it was a great foundation. I did however rebel against faith because I let my circumstances and other people’s journey deter my faith. I met Christians who used to quote the bible one minute and be heartless the next. This made realize that Christians are human just like me and everyone else. I shouldn’t have needed this realization to discover myself, but that’s what it took. I sometimes compare myself to my peers but then I have to remember that God didn’t intend for us to endeavor parallel journeys.
The beauty of being a Christian is that no matter what walk of life we come from, we all have something in common. The common thing is the love we have for Jesus. Church, or community, is the easiest place to connect to people because you can connect to God first and a shared belief that you feel really passionate about. So next time you feel intimated by someone who maybe following Jesus, just remember you are his child as well. You never know- you might also be able to spark some much needed energy into that brother or sister in Christ.
Why I Was Intimidated by Christians – Being Encouraged