You are welcome here.
The most important thing about me – the thing that most defines who I am and what I do, is often something I am hesitant to share. It’s not that I am ashamed of it, or that I am scared to talk about it. The reason that I’m slow to share it is because the minute that it comes out, people immediately form judgements about who I am…judgements that are often incorrect but are based on the individuals very real, and often hurtful past experiences. These judgements often mean that people act different around me or build walls to keep me at arms length. This defining thing, it’s being a Christian. And while I should feel loud and proud about believing in a man who was both God and human and who was literally the embodiment of love. Instead, I feel apologetic. It’s not because of what I believe that I feel this way and instead because of the often terrible job that we as Christians have done of representing our God.
I’ve always been a “big picture” person. While I appreciate the details, I like to come back to a bottom line. And for me, the bottom line of the Bible is love and that in abundance. In the book of Matthew, when asked which was the greatest commandment, Jesus replied, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” My take-away from these verses is LOVE- love God, love your neighbour, and even love yourself. In fact, the Bible even goes as far as to tell us to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44). It’s clear to me that God designed a plan that everyone – every single person – whether easy or hard to love, be included in his envelope of care.
Many people have experienced an incredibly different scenario when encountering followers of Christ. As Christians, we have done a lot of harm. For some reason, we want to set rules and boundaries for who and how we should love. It’s like somewhere along the way we missed the message that grace is free and love is a party to which everyone is invited. When I envision heaven, I don’t picture heavy gates held closed and guarded by muscled bouncers holding a VIP list. I picture gates wide open and those with the biggest hearts ready to hand out hugs to all who enter with only this to say, “You are welcome here!” I don’t know what heaven will really be like but I’m going to do my best to bring my version of heaven here. I’ll swing the gates of my heart wide open and I’ll love with intent and boldness. I hope I live a life that says to all, You are welcome here! Come as you are!”
So if you hear me say, I am a Christian. Know that to me that means I’m a broken person saved by grace with a mission to love big. I’m not here to separate, I’m here to include. I’m not here to judge, I’m here to care.