christian.

there are a few words in the english language that are too weak to stand on their own without context. "wind" as we know might read "breeze" or "create tension". "the trees were stirred by the wind." it's the context that gives the word meaning. "love" is another we refer to often...such a small word for so many large things.

of all these words that mean multiple things, "christian" is my least favorite.

christian. "follower of Christ" or "follower of self" or "follower of popularity" or "follower of reputation."

i know which one i want to be, but i'm terrified to claim the title without the context. i find myself wanting to say, "i'm a christian, if 'christian' to you simply means that i love jesus a lot." because i think it's supposed to be that simple.

here's where it's not simple.

"christian" to non-church-goers seems to frequently include these qualifications:
goes to church weekly
prays in monotonous tone
spanks their children
thinks they're perfect
expects perfection from others
thinks they're better than me
often talks the talk
won't accept me as i am
thinks i'm going to hell
is only interested in me to convert me

"christian" to (some...maybe many?) church-goers seems to frequently include these qualifications:
goes to church at least two times a week
needs to be involved in at least one church-sanctioned ministry where they spend the majority of their free time
should pray and read bible every day
prays with their eyes closed
should frequently ask people to go to church with them
should do "whatever it takes" even if it's harmful to self and relationships
should confess sins (unless they're really bad, in which case they should bottle them up and pretend they're not there)
is a republican
votes "correctly" on the hot issues
thinks God is frequently disappointed
is often offended by the world around them

"christian" to me includes this qualification:
loves jesus (soul, mind, strength)

seriously, so simple.

i think loving Him has a lot of byproducts...fruit, if you will...but the word "relationship" that christians use so much was originally meant to determine that His interaction with us is intimate...personal...like a real relationship. that means the generalizations don't apply. that means that it's okay that i don't close my eyes when i pray...because He knows that if i close my eyes, my mind wanders to memories and fictitious lands and i completely forget the subject of prayer. and it means that it's okay that you do close your eyes when you pray. and it means that i can love Him completely even during a season when i don't have a church home.

it means that someone who is a liberal can truly love Him. it means that someone who smokes can have a deep relationship with Him. it means that someone who voted no on 8 can have actually felt obedient in doing so...the list goes on...

we make assumptions without specifics. define words without context. but this isn't language we're talking about. it's people's lives. it's eternity. it's representative of Him.

i would love to reclaim the word "christian." to strengthen it again so that it stands without context. i would love for christians to be known as those people who love. oh...how everything else would fall in place if we would just let go of the other stuff and just love. LOVE. you know? think of the peace that pervades with love...the joy...the patience...the goodness...i think you see where i'm going with this.