I’ve lately been thinking a lot about transformation through Christ. I’ve been thinking about how much I’ve changed since high school, and how every good way that I have changed has been through Christ, and I now think things that I never could have thought in high school. A lot of this has to do with experiences of life; and directions of the people around me and their effect on me. In high school, I’d definitely call myself a judgmental christian, although I didn’t show it too much to people’s faces. I’d call myself homophobic and unaccepting of others paths, which leads to being unloving to many of the people around me. As I ventured into my college experience, I met friends who were so much better than me at these things.
I spent a year at MSU in Bozeman, MT, and my friends I made there were great examples to me of loving those often rejected. This experience surely helped me in judging, but I’d say the biggest thing that affected my heart and transformed my heart happened in my own family. My younger brother became openly gay my freshman year of college. This was a huge surprise for me, and coming from a conservative Christian family I’ve always been guilty of judging the gay lifestyle harshly.
As I came to terms with this, my brother went through a transformation. He went from an irresponsible boy, living for himself, to someone responsible, loving, and appreciative. During his transformation, I also went through a large transformation. I went from a judging Christian to someone willing to love people, no matter their faults. God said all sins are equal in his eyes, and He’s helping me see the world in this light every day.
I’m not saying I agree with the gay lifestyle at all, because as a bible believing Christian, I do believe it is a sin, and I’m not OK with any sins. I’m just saying none of us are faultless, and all of us deserve to be loved. I’m now beginning to realize how much love and acceptance can change someone’s heart, and how much a good example can change a person’s perspective. Good examples changed mine as a freshman in college, and being a Godly example to everyone around us, no matter their flaws, is the only way to ever get someone to recognize God’s love for them. God can then work – and He is the only one that can give us the strength to overcome our faults. Understanding with many issues dealing with sin come to me in Ephesians. There are so many verses in Ephesians that talk about how so many followers of Christ live, and more importantly treat others, as if we’re saved by our actions. Turns out that has nothing to do with it.
“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece . He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” – Ephesians 2:8-10
The only way we can be made innocent in the eyes of God is by believing in Him, and embracing His love for us and acknowledging our faults. The only way we will have the strength to overcome these faults is to embrace God. He is the only one that can give us the strength to overcome.
In God’s eyes, all sins are equal, and we all have our issues and vices. The ONLY reason we can be saved from these is through the love of Christ, and His death to clear these sins. God has taught me a lot about myself the last few years, and helped me fix my problems. I’m sure He’ll continue teaching me as this life continues, and I’ll be praying that God helps me change in accordance to these teachings.
. . . musings from a pitiful masterpiece 