why i don’t do christianity.

by 39 Comments

Just a heads up – if the title didn’t give it away, I’m about to talk very openly about my faith. I sometimes receive criticism for doing so, so if this is something that makes you uncomfortable in any way, I hope you can read it with an open mind. My faith is the most important thing in my life, so I feel it important to address on my blog. If you have any questions I’d love for you to email me! gracie(at)girlmeetslife(dot).com.

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The story of how I became a Christian is a long one. A lifelong one, actually.

To break it down, I grew up in a Christian home by two parents who raised me with strong Biblical principles – but more importantly with an unconditional love. I think that’s how I first realized what the love of God is like.

I first got “saved” when I was about 5 years old at a church puppet show. Then I got “re-saved” at age 13 at a youth group event. I actually do really believe my decision at 5 years old was fully conscious and genuine, but at 13…well, I guess I wanted to make sure.

From then through all of high school, college, and a few years beyond, I did Christianity. And, I must say I think I did it pretty well. I had my fair share of life experiences, but never fully lost my way or questioned my belief in God.

 

I went to church every Sunday.

I spoke Christianese.

I often said I’d pray about decisions, waiting for God to magically give me all the answers I need.

I didn’t do any of the “big” sins.

I defined myself as a Christian in a similar way I define my profession, political affiliation, etc.

 

 

I WAS a Christian. I had given my life to Christ and know for a fact that I was His. But within the past few years, I’ve finally learned what it meant to make Him mine.

Someone once told me that you can be as close to God as you want to be. That really changed how I view my relationship with Him. I could have continued “doing” the Christianity I was living for so many years. It was safe, comfortable, and didn’t challenge me.

But it also didn’t fulfill me. It didn’t give me the intimate relationship, overwhelming peace, joy, favor, and incomprehensible grace and love that fully surrendering to God provides.

I used to think that wanting more of God in my life just seemed too difficult. How could I ever measure up to what that required of me? But the irony is that surrendering my life to God and asking for more of Him was the most freeing thing in the world.

So that’s why I don’t just do Christianity anymore.

 

I don’t just go to church on Sunday, I’m a part of my church.

I don’t just say I’ll pray about decisions, I ask God. I partner with God.

I realize that my “small”/secret sins are just as bad as the “big” ones, and am constantly seeking sanctification.

I still define myself as a Christian, but now as a daughter of the King and Creator of the Universe.

Oh, and I still speak Christianese. It comes with the territory 😉

 

I’m writing this post because I’ve learned firsthand how easy it is to get caught up in Christian complacency - to feel safe with the lifestyle aspect of it. But when God created us to be co-heirs with Him in Heaven, I’m pretty sure He didn’t intend for us to just feel “safe” while here on earth.

There’s no way I could ever repay God for the gift of eternity, but I can at least show Him that I’ll all in until then.

Update: I wrote this post on Saturday night, and the next day Andi Andrew’s message “Relentless Love” was so in line with it. Check out the podcast now!

Comments

  2. says

    Super interesting post!

    I grew up in a really religious household, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve embraced doing the right thing, meditating on important decisions, and getting closer to my Creator by engaging in physical activity. Hey, it works for me, and I feel 100% confident in my eternity :) Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  4. says

    I absolutely love this :) so courageous how you share your faith! I went to a conference this December and Leonce Crump, one of the speakers, said something along the lines of- It doesn’t matter how much you know ABOUT God, if you don’t actually KNOW Him, all of it is worthless. I loved that and definitely felt convicted by it! It goes so well with what you’re saying, and what I believe- God the Creator of the Universe, the Lord of All wants to know me-if I truly believe that, how can I be complacent? It’s so un-fulfilling to go through the motions, it’s so valuable to truly live and walk with Christ every day!

    Reply

  5. Kade says

    This was an amazing post! I loved it! What a beautiful way to talk about how you can LIVE what you believe.
    I know I have found in my life that if we want to become closer to god, then it really is all on me. There are things I can do right now to make it so I can stretch myself, learn, grow and become more like my Creator. The amazing thing about this is that you can as creative as you want to be if you want to try and be closer to him. I knew of this post that talks about something we can do to figure out how to listen to our creator. Its http://goo.gl/Rs9yyv It made me want to find time in my day everyday to do this.
    I would love to hear what you think of it?

    Reply

    • says

      Wow, I love that article. Thanks so much for sharing, Kade! It actually came at the perfect time for me too because I’m always saying how much I desperately want to hear from God, but I’m not exactly the best at slowing down, being quiet, and just LISTENING for Him…

      Reply

  7. Andrea says

    This is totally random question because I am not at all religious as far as “organized” religion goes (I believe in God, meditate, pray, etc but have never felt that church was “right” for me) but are all/most of your friends Christian too and do you have many non-Christian friends? I started thinking about my group of friends and I would say the the majority of them don’t go to church at all (regardless of their beliefs) and only a handful do. I also have a few Jewish friends. I just find it all so interesting :)

    Reply

    • says

      Hey Andrea!

      I have a lot of friends that aren’t Christians, but I’d say I’m closer to the ones who are, just because there’s more of a likeminded-ness there. Not to mention I met most of my close friends at church :)

      And on a side note - just want to encourage you that you don’t have to be part of an organized religion to be a Christian, or even part of a church. I honestly wouldn’t even consider myself “religious” - to me it’s all about having a personal relationship with God. To me church isn’t a place of rules and regulations, but instead somewhere that I can worship God in the company of other Christians who support and love me. To me, church is a part of my family! I know churches can vary greatly (among different denominations, etc) but I can’t help but think there is a “right” one out there for you, if you ever change your mind :) xo

      Reply

  8. says

    I grew up in a household that did not embrace any religion. When I spent the weekends with my paternal grandparents, I’d go to a Methodist church with them because that’s just what they did. As a teenager, I dated a boy whose father was a Baptist minister, so I attended his church a couple of times. As an adult, I sometimes attend a nondenominational church that teaches the Science of Mind and Spirit. I don’t consider myself religious in any way, but I’m comfortable calling myself spiritual. I feel that I don’t have to attend a formal service in a building to know that I am connected to a Higher Power. I always try to do the right thing, be kind to others, help anyone I am able to help, give when I can give and just be a good human being who, I hope, inspires other people to do good things.

    We believe what we believe and nobody should condemn another for these beliefs. I enjoy reading your blog and always feel welcome here. I’m sorry that some feel it necessary to criticize you because of your beliefs. If I read something somewhere that I don’t agree with, I simply leave the page. Being mean has no place in this world as there are already too many terrible things happening daily.

    Sorry to ramble! I just felt moved to reply to this post.

    Reply

    • says

      Thanks for that, Stephanie! It really means a lot to have your support as a reader.

      I totally get what you mean - I actually don’t really consider myself religious either - as I mentioned to Andrea above it’s more about having a relationship with God. When I was in college I definitely learned a lot more about spirituality, other religions, etc. and dug deep into what/who God really is. For me I always came back to the Bible and how it teaches that the source of spirituality and truth is Jesus. I guess I always came back to the conclusion that - if I was created with an inward desire and knowledge that there was a Higher Power - I wanted to know it/Him! So the more I began to pray for a personal encounter with God, the more I realized how real He actually is, and the more I wanted everything to do with Him.

      Thanks again for the comment :) xoxo

      Reply

  12. says

    i’m not christian, but i really enjoyed this post…it’s always been easy to see through the way you write that your faith is very genuine and personal, which is how i feel about my relationship to my religion. keep on doing beautiful things!

    Reply

    • says

      Hey A,

      I have dated a handful of non-Christians in the past, but right now I would only like to date Christians, as having shared core beliefs and values is so important to me!

      Reply

  14. says

    Thanks for sharing so authentically about how you experience your relationship with God. Faith is also the most important part of my life, but I don’t always know how to express that in the blog medium. Thanks for the genuine example.

    Reply

  15. says

    I always find stories about journeys of faith so interesting. I grew up in a Christian home and it was something that I loved as a child but changed my mind on as I got older. I don’t think I ever “rebelled” or “rejected” my faith, but just started questioning it. Religion is such an ongoing journey (at least for me) and I will always keep an open mind to whatever might change my views in the future. It definitely sounds like your faith has brought you great joy and happiness. Thank you for sharing your story!

    Reply

    • says

      Hey Sarah, I can definitely relate to the questioning - especially having been raised a Christian as well. And, I actually think questioning is a great thing because it’s important to have our *own* faith and beliefs as we get older. Best of luck on your journey, and thanks so much for this comment! xo

      Reply

  17. says

    Amazing! One thing that I’m trying to work on for 2014 is building a closer relationship with our heavenly father. I love reading about how other people connect with God and share their experiences along the way, thanks for such a great post. God bless you!

    Reply

  18. says

    Just wanted to say THANK YOU for sharing this. I feel like I’m in that same position right now, where I’ve previously realized that I haven’t been BEING enough for who I am, as a daughter of the only true King and am now striving towards better. Thank you for being strong enough to post this-coming from a girl in a city where you can’t find one Christian Young-Adults group, your blog makes me feel like I’m a part of one! Ps I ended up buying the Jesus Calling book that you post reading, I love it! xx

    Reply

  19. Haydee says

    Hi Gracie, I just wanted to thank you for creating this post. In the past few months, I have decided to let to and let God do with my life. I have let go of all the purposely wrong-doing I was taking part of, and have been seeking a relationship with Him. God is so clever with his ways. I woke up this morning with him on my mind… Minding my own business, bored. I googled, “girl blogs” and stumbled upon this post.. Including some other links posted by your viewers. This is a sign by Him.
    I am trying my best to live a life WITH him. Thank you!

    Reply

    • says

      Wow, Haydee, thank you so much for this comment. I love how God works!! That definitely just goes to show how much He loves you and recognized your surrender to Him!

      Hope you have an amazing week - thanks again for sharing this :) xoxo

      Reply

  20. says

    nice post! thanks for mentioning about knowing Him and making Him yours as I reflect about my current relationship with Him. :) right now I’m going through another season in my life. i’ve been set apart again, this time He placed me in a rural community. by God’s grace and power, I hope my life speaks of God’s love for them. :) (how’s that for christianese? haha! )

    Reply

  21. tarah says

    Hey Grace, I really enjoyed your post and how you are actively seeking after the Lord and His will. It is so easy to get caught in the flow of the world and just keep going but I think that when we turn our lives over to God, thats when our lives become a HUGE adventure and we learn more that we ever could from just going with the flow. I thought of two songs that I love and wanted to share with you. One is ‘Daughter of a king’ by Jenny phillips and ‘I am His Daughter’ by Nicole Sheahan. Keep going girl!

    Reply

  24. Renee says

    Hi Gracie,
    I really loved your post and it seemed to me….it was as if the same faith that i have in me….and this is what i wanted to share too…everyone should be knowing christian is not a religion or set of rules…it should be something more with our Lord and Savior…

    Reply

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