So my sister called yesterday with the question: What does Christianity mean to you? A few lines were needed for an article she was putting together and she thought I would be a good person to ask. The question is almost too easy to answer. The answer is EVERYTHING. But how to place this sentiment into a few lines? Now that was harder to tailor words for.
How do I tie down what Christianity means to me in just a few lines when I could write for hours an answer to that question?
So I started with some ideas scrawled into my journal. Christianity is like jumping into an ocean of love. An ocean of swirling currents that sway me back and forth. It is like leaping into a huge, never ending source of joy and love. So deep you cannot see the bottom of it. So wide you cannot see the other side.
Christianity is like falling in love. There is the rush of first love. The excitement. The moment of realising that this is it. You have finally found what you are looking for. You have discovered the centre of your world. The source of affirmation. The romance of mutual admiration. The excitement of shared ideas, shared affection, a shared life. The unravelling of mystery. Unwrapping the layers of personality. Fast and heady at first, but slower and steady as the years unfold.
Christianity is like starting on an epic adventure. The world is your oyster. The captain of your ship and your leader is the Lord. Your hand is held by one wiser, kinder and more capable than any other. He is strong, He is courageous and together you navigate the stormy seas. He is your harbour in the storm. Your place to shelter. Your greatest admirer and strongest friend.
Christianity is a partnership with the kindest person I know. He may hold the world in His hands but he also holds my heart. He knows my frailty. My struggles. My weaknesses. He cheers me on, waits when I am weary. Carries me when I am fainting.
Christianity is about coming alive. Alive on the inside which works its way out onto the outside. Alive to pain. Alive to hope. Alive to trust. Alive to peace. Alive to life in abundance. It means embracing empathy. Serving the oppressed. Holding the hand of the elderly. Spending time with the lonely. Laying your life down for others. But in submitting, in letting go, in losing your life you find it. You come alive where before there was a numb, emptiness.
Christianity is like being the subject of a painting which has been worked on by a skilled painter. There are little details only He can appreciate. Colours He works into the canvas. Huge sweeping swathes of colour and texture. And yet there is always order. There is a plan. There is a place for everything. There is no clutter. Each layer lavishly painted with an expert eye. Mistakes become masterpieces. Wrong roads taken get realigned to bring the subject home. It all works together for good. Nothing is missing and nothing is lost.
Christianity is a commitment in the good times and the bad. When it feels easy and everything is flowing and when it feels like wading through treacle. When the prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling. When the patient endurance seems to go on forever. When the sick get sicker. When the depressed sink lower and lower. It means handling challenges with wisdom. Holding on to truth when truth is in question.
Christianity is a relationship, it is not a religious activity. It is completely filled by a King and His Kingdom. It is peace in the storm. Peace in days and seasons of anxiety. It is a place of rest and trust. It is hope for those who have lost hope. Direction for the lost. A place to belong. A place to call home. A King who sees you and knows you and accepts you.
Christianity is all about a body. His body. His church. His people. It is about family. It is about community. It is about relationships. It is about sharing lives. Sharing the burdens and carrying each other. Sharing the celebrations. Sharing the victories. It is about a massive congregation. A huge household containing countless children.
Christianity takes discipline. It sees the future and paces itself for the journey. It looks at the bigger picture. It is a marathon and not a short sprint. It works itself out over days and weeks and then enters into months and years.
Christianity is really only just the beginning. The opening page, the introduction to ETERNITY.
As you can see my answer to that opening question that my sister asked me could go on for pages. I don't think I could ever tie it down and I don't think I will ever run out of things to say. But in the end I chose a few sentences and this is what will be published ...
' Christianity is a daily partnership with the kindest person I know whose commitment and belief in me go way beyond my ability to believe in myself. He has expanded my world from the inside out. He is my harbour in the storm, the smile I long for at the start of the day, the hug I need when I am tired and alone. I've never regretted trusting God with my life.
I am known, I belong and I am loved.'