Being Christian doesn’t equal being religious

I was raised as a Catholic and “turned” atheist when I was 18. The reason why I turned atheist was because I had never had a genuine connection with God and could not accept that nasty God that all religious people around me seemed to believe in.

Nowadays, it is almost impossible to explain to anyone how I am Christian without being religious. Since I experienced a conversion, I know for a fact that there is a God. But I don’t have any desire to go to church, because I understand from Jesus’ teachings that we are the church – take a look at Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” And in case you were wondering: yes, Jesus is still there with you even if no one else is!

Again, God frees us, but this profound connection does come with taking full responsibility for who we are and what we do. Just listen to what Paul, who also experienced a conversion, has to say about that in Corinthians 10:23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. You will quickly find that your connection with God creates a deep self-awareness and awareness of how we impact others. Thus you simply won’t want to do certain things because you know they are not good for you or others around you.

So if you’re feeling a little “lost” trying to reconcile your faith in God and Jesus (which are one) with church membership, don’t. You do not need to go to a building to have a connection with God. In fact, a lot of people who go to a building do not have a connection with God, but with religion.

“So what do I do?”, you must be asking. Well, you are free – and I would think that being free you would not want to make choices that don’t compromise your freedom. You have Jesus’ teachings and as long as you keep him as your hermeneutical key to understand everything else in the bible and in life, you will be good – and you will keep your freedom.

Reconnection

I spent 33 years hoping to find, and often seeking, a profoundly unique connection with others. There were even a few moments when I was convinced that I had found it. In such moments, I longed to be known to a depth that would exhaust every single facet of my character. I desired to know the other person just as deeply. I wanted sameness and synchronicity. But ultimately what I really, really wanted was to be loved unconditionally. However, once the masks fell, it proved a real challenge to negotiate differences and I was left in a state of confusion: Why did all these connections began so dazzling, so powerful… almost divine! And yet they all turned out as repetitive, mundane representations of every other type of connection that’s out there?

I never thought I would find a satisfying explanation for this puzzle that’s haunted every connection I’ve had with people along the way. But I did. And it’s changed everything.

I believe that what I was seeking was not merely a connection, but a reconnection. With God, not with a person. Not from this life, but from even before I was born. And I kept identifying it exactly where it should be in its primal stage: the very beginning of a love interest or inspiring friendship. That’s when there are still no “irreconcilable” differences getting in the way of love, or better yet – that’s when we’re all playing “perfect”. We’re all “good” under such a light, the light of freshness, hope and promise.

Knowing that has helped me accept one truth: I am not going to genuinely find and sustain this reconnection through being with someone else. I simply cannot attain it. God is the one who loves me just as I always wanted to be loved and knows me exactly as I have always wanted to be known. This reconnection is already in me and comes from God. The realization of such a fundamental truth freed me.

Who’s the love of my life? God. No one else could fill such infinite shoes.

Peace of mind

I had been an atheist for 15 years when I experienced a conversion. It was very sudden, as it always is. Though I’m not religious, I am a Christian. And what I would like to share today is that a genuine connection with God brings profound peace of mind – in God. It is wonderful and almost feels like magic powers.

Contrary to what a lot of people seem to think or expect, life doesn’t become easier though. There are still lots of tribulations. The difference is you know that is how it’s supposed to be and that brings you closer to God. You know that everything passes. You know that God gives us freedom and that He knows what’s best for us. Surrender is a key word here.

I often see people question the existence of God because of tribulations – allow me to break the news for you: you’re right, that God of bargain you thought you believed in indeed doesn’t exist. If you expect the God you believe in to rid you of tribulations, then yes, that God doesn’t exist. That God that doesn’t know better than you, a mere human full of flaws, definitely doesn’t exist.

Reality check: There’s no bargain with God (“I am such a good Christian, why am I going through so much tribulation?”). You don’t know better than God (“Why did God not stop that from happening to me?”). And you, much like a little kid, don’t know what’s best for you – your Father does. God does. And our Father is not imperfect like we are, He is in fact perfect. Trust is a keyword here.

I’ll leave you with a beautiful quote from Jesus – it sums up everything else I said above:

John 16:33 “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

The relevance of sharing

The most important life experience I’ve ever had is also the one that I share the least: my conversion. Why? Because the relevance of sharing is diluted in our times in a vast sea of superficial and attention seeking sharing. Nonetheless, it does seem that meaningful sharing should also happen less frequently. And that explains the 3-year gap between my last post here and this one.

Good

From the moment you decide to become an essentially good person, you quickly realize how easy that is in theory, and how unpredictable the results are in practice. But the mere exercise of trying is worth it. Knowing that you are walking somewhat of a straight path that leads to growth.