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[DISCLAIMER: I promise I am in no way attempting to convert anyone to Christianity through this post. :) ]

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I'm a Christian.

It's not often that I will use that title.  I never hide the fact that I believe in  God/Jesus Christ or that I regularly attend church, but I don't often use the title of "Christian".  And it's not because I am ashamed of my beliefs, but rather that I am ashamed of the actions of those who claim to believe in the same God that I do.


Growing up "in the church", I learned to view the world through a particular lens.  However it wasn't until I started attending university that I began to learn to accept, value, and truly love others without judging their actions.  It wasn't until that I was training to become a social worker that I truly learned what it meant to be a follower of Christ.  My Jewish sociology professor said it best: "If you want to know what it means to be a good social worker, follow the example of Jesus."

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Following the example of Jesus means, among many other things, that you accept that others will not necessarily believe as you do.  They will not live their lives as you do, and they will not conform to your way of thinking.  And that is okay.  It doesn't matter if they are headed in a direction that you believe is the road the the hottest of hell fires - you love them anyways.  You guide them gently, with kind words of advice, and you lead by example.  You discourage others from passing judgement, because nobody is perfect.  You make sure that your faith in your God remains strong, so that others can look to you for guidance when they need and want it.  And most importantly, you do not force your values on anyone.  You allow them to choose their own life path.

Jesus did all those things.  See John Chapter 4.  See John Chapter 8.  See Matthew Chapters 5-7.  Even if you don't believe that Jesus was real, you have to admit that all of those qualities are desirable for anyone in a helping profession.  Or just, you know, for humans in general.

I'm not even talking about turning the other cheek, or loving people who literally sell you out to be crucified.  I'm talking about just being loving and accepting to people who believe differently than you do.  People who see life differently, who take a different path, who follow their hearts even though your belief system says that they're wrong.

You know what?  At the end of the day, "those people" are a direct reflection of whom/what they believe in.  Are you?

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xoxo, Jayy