The "good Christian".

Have you ever seen someone praying at the altar, or doing community service and thought to yourself, "He's a really good Christian." Or maybe it's just the way someone carries themself, the way they just shine the light wherever they go.

Well, I've decided that I absolutely hate the term "good Christian".

I've been thinking a lot lately about my example and my representation. As a believer, I'm supposed to be strong, right? I'm supposed to go to church, read my Bible, all of that "church stuff" that everyone just expects. I'm not supposed to swear, smoke, drink, whatever. Because that's "bad" in the eyes of the lost. And I agree, and I follow those guidelines, but is that the only basis for what a Christian should be? What you see with your eyes? Unfortunately that's the way everyone sees us. And unfortunately, that's oftentimes the way we treat things ourselves. We strive to be like the "good Christian" that we see at the altar every Sunday. Or sometimes we think that maybe we shouldn't do something, but then we see the "good Christian" doing it and suddenly it's okay. I wish that instead of worrying about what the "good Christian" is doing, we would worry about what God is doing. In us, around us, through us. Everyone is just so focused on others. They look at others with a microscope, especially us who say we're Christians. They make sure we are living the correct way in their eyes, not God's.

But what if we could change that? What if they looked deeper inside of us and saw what we really felt, knew, and loved? If they looked inside of us and saw Christ? Instead of saying, "oh, she doesn't go to parties because she's a good Christian" they thought, "she doesn't go to parties because she wants to serve Jesus and be wholly his"?

God can't be seen. Fact. And that is what we believe in, what we live by. Who we love and serve. So why do we spend so much time comparing ourselves to "good Christians", because of what we see them do? Yes, we should follow the example of other believers, but ultimately we should make our own example. Let God lead you, stretch you, bring you out of your comfort zone to accomplish what you never thought you could even think about doing before.

Personally, I don't want to be a "good Christian". I want to live by example, yes, and I am very conscious of it, yes, but I want others to see God deep inside of me and not just on the surface. I want them to see that I'm not perfect, none of us are. There is no "bar" for being a Christian; you're supposed to come as you are, not come only when you're this much of a "good person". I want to be broken. I want God to break my heart and open my eyes to his purpose and to our relationship. When I think of the word "good", I think okay. Acceptable. Decent. I don't want to be just good! I want to be devoted. I want God to know that I am fully his. Wholly and totally committed to him because he loves me and I love him. I don't want to hide the real God under the "good Christian" mask. I want others to see me as more than the "good Christian" but as the love and truth they want and need in their own lives.

[ ] Sara

Repentance and the bathroom theory.

So this morning as I was getting ready for church, I paused and thought to myself, "My bathroom is totally gross." And as I thought this, I tried to think of possible reasons why it had become so disgusting. I share it with my 7 year old brother? Yeah, that doesn't help much. I'm rarely home? True. But really, when you think about it, there's no excuse. It's gross because it's a bathroom, yeah, but it's my own fault for not cleaning it. My brother could help me out from time to time, but as the oldest (especially being 18, that's a good age gap) I'm supposed to be the one to take responsibility for it. It was my bathroom before it was ours. This made me think about my relationship with God. Isn't it funny how when we mess up, we always seem to try to find reasons for why we messed up? In other words, finding excuses to try and justify our sins? I'm guilty of this myself. A lot of times we don't even realize just how dirty we are until we just stop and stand back, and take a minute to really examine ourselves and what we've done. Sometimes it may be okay, but other times we may think, "Wow, I really let this place go." And we feel gross, because we are. We just are. As humans, we sin. As bathrooms, they get dirty. They're bathrooms, that's just what they do. As humans, sinning is just what happens no matter how hard we try to be perfect. But that doesn't mean we should just give up. Jesus died so that we could someday be perfect, when we're called home. And a lot of people take that for granted. So as Christians we need to remember to step back and think about what we've done. Have our actions stood up for, or misrepresented Christ? When people see us, do they think we are good examples or do they think, "Well, if that's what being a Christian is..."

This whole thought process made me realize that I should repent on a daily basis. And with sincerity. That I shouldn't be like, "I'm sorry God" then go to sleep without feeling satisfied in the effectiveness of my prayer. No matter how exhausted I may feel, or how exhausted I really am, no matter how much I don't feel like it... I need to get over that. Because being a Christian isn't about what you feel, it's about who you serve. I'm sure the day Jesus died, he didn't particularly feel like dying. But he did it anyway because he loves us. He died so that we can repent. So why don't we? He loves us so much and wants us to come to him. If we don't come to him, what will he do for us? We can't expect our moms to clean our bathrooms anymore. We're growing up, we need to do it ourselves. And once we clean the bathroom, we need to keep it that way. of course we'll miss a few spots, but we're human. And God honors the efforts and sacrifices we make. But for those sacrifices to be honored, we actually have to perform them. With a genuine spirit and a willing heart.

[ ] Sara

Beautiful Poem!

I thought this poem is a great compliment to what I just wrote earlier... Enjoy!

-Meghan

BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN SISTER by Maya Angelou

'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ

that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean livin''

I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride.

I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong.

I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say.. 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success.

I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect,

My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain..

I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou,

I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace,

somehow!

Pretty is as Pretty does... but beautiful is just plain beautiful!

Agreed

Certified Hotties, Meghan is right the way we use our words is key. You can lift up or bring people down with your words. What do you think?
-Mama J

Certified Hotties

Okay, So in 'The Square', we all call ourselves certified hotties. Do we think that we are necessarily prettier than anyone else? No, unless you count some of Tom's girlfriends... but, I digress. We call each other nice names to lift each other up, not put each other down! I hear too many teens and young adults in conversation with their friends throwing out some really negative and downright crude terms and truly thinking that they are 'showin some love' when they say it! When has it become acceptable in our culture to say degrading things to one another? We really need to step back and take a look at our lives and how we carry ourselves. When we carry ourselves wrong, we misrepresent who we really are and miss out on opportunities to show the love of Christ.

I feel like The Square started a really good thing by getting all the teens in our youth at church on board with this positive name calling thing... I have actually noticed some differences in the way many of the teens act because of it. My challenge to you is to concentrate on being more positive in your life and seeing how contagious it can be to others!!

-Meghan

The Dawn of a New Era

Here it is.....The Day-Making Squareapalooza Blog.
What will come of it?
For sure some fun, craziness, and yes ninja activity.