Why is it that Christians are the best at making people feel isolated, unloved, unaccepted and unlovable?

The title of this blog is from my twitter a few days ago and I've really been thinking about it a lot lately... And just pondering on why I really feel that way and I wanted to elaborate on it for everyone. Part of what got me thinking was a friend of mine tweeted back and asked me if I had gone to high school? Sooo... Here is my explanation.

In school I never really felt that way, my friends really accepted me and loved on me and high school was a really hard time for me in a lot of ways because my mom was in a nursing home, she died and my dad remarried... All within the years I was in high school and I had the most loving and supportive friends a girl could have asked for... I had some of the most fun of my life my senior year of high school and it was every bit because of the friends that I had at my school. I felt more accepted and loved at school than I did at church, and that's not something I had ever thought about until I started feeling that way again recently.

See... I don't think that churches should have exclusive cliques, especially when it comes to adults. What are we teaching our kids? I love church and Bible study and interaction with other believers but it's not something that seems to come along with being unconditionally loved, accepted, etc. I can hang out with my friends that aren't in church every week and who prefer to go out and party and feel more accepted than I do when I go to church. Those friends will call, text, or email me to see if I want to hang out, go to lunch, go to a movie or to see where I was when everyone got together the last time because I was missed.

Now... Is it just me or is the above situation how it's supposed to be? Because I thought that the church and other believers should be the ones that are reaching out and encouraging others and edifying the body of believers. It's no wonder that the bars are fuller than the churches when people act like that. People want to be loved and accepted, people want to be missed and encouraged and to feel like they belong to something.

The Bible says in Hebrews 10:25 "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Now I'm pretty sure that this is talking about believers getting together and spending time in fellowship with one another, not believers getting together with non believers because they don't feel accepted in the church. Don't get me wrong, I have a few friends from church that I hang out with, not all from my church where I attend but that's okay with me. My husband and I have always wanted the types of friends that are talked about in the Bible, David & Jonathan, iron sharpening iron, etc but we have never really had that and I think that its sad, especially since my husband and I have both grown up in the church and we are raising our kids in the church. I'm not bashing my church or any church that I have ever gone to or my friends that I have past or present... I'm simply stating that with the exception of a few people this is what we have found to be true. And we aren't the only ones who feel and have felt that way, within our own church, other local churches and outside of the church.

Just with the scenario that we have experienced in our personal lives, I can relate to why there are some people that want nothing to do with the church and with Christians. And as a Christian that frustrates me... If we can't encourage, love and minister to each other, how can we expect to do that to others that don't know HIM or have a relationship with Christ? Why would someone want to go to church where they have no friends and feel left out when they can go hang out and "party" with their "friends" and feel accepted and wanted? And even if they come to church and come to know Christ, whats to keep them from going back to that lifestyle if we aren't there creating relationships and loving on them and encouraging them? As the body of Christ we are called to love and to show love and if we aren't then we are sinning, it's simple as that. If you cause a brother to stumble than are you not just as guilty? If by not showing love and acceptance and encouragement to another believer causes them to go out and return to the lifestyle that they were seeking salvation from are we not to blame for not showing them Christ's love? unconditional love and acceptance?

Just a little something to think about... And hopefully encourage and inspire you to go out and be the change that you want to see!!

to give or not to give??? WWJD

So I ended the year 2009 a bit frustrated and sad... I had attempted to help out some families have Christmas that wouldn't have it without help from others and only one of those families was able to have Christmas. I sat and read status updates and twitter updates about all the excess that people got and then thought about the families that weren't getting anything and the fact that only $5 has been donated to help these families and it makes me sick to my stomach. We are such a spoiled society. If it were your family, would you not want someone to help your kids have Christmas?

This year was hard for us as we strived to stick to a budget on our Christmas but what made it easier was knowing that we were helping out other families with the excess that we didn't spend. It hurts my heart to see people and churches spend so much on things that don't really matter and then there are hurting people that don't get reached with Christ's love, especially on the season that we celebrate His birth.

I will still be, a long with several others, collecting money, clothing, toys, furnishings, food and other things for these families as their need is still great even after Christmas. Please consider helping in some way shape or form, even if it's just your time to help fix some things at one of the homes that needs to be repaired. We have all been blessed beyond measure and there is no reason why we shouldn't be a part in being a blessing in someone else's life.