What We Owe It To Ourselves To Realize As Christians
We’re here to try harder in telling them that they are not alone in this battle, in reminding them that we've been there, that they will overcome as well.
By 
Dian Tinio
Sometimes, the problem with us Christians is we put ourselves in a certain pedestal. We mistake criticism for compassion; judgment for love; arrogance for confidence in God; and condemnation for empathy.
We walk around with our heads higher because of what we can do and who we are MORE THAN who God is in us and what He has done.
Christianity is not a permit to live with pride. Christianity is humility and compassion. As the Christians we claim to be, we should – all the more – humble ourselves and remove every ounce of pride and realize that our life – what we attained, who we are – is NOT our own doing, but the glory of God alone.
Christianity is knowing how imperfect we are, how we fail and let God down for more ways than one and still, He’s there, unchanging, continuously working on us, creating our magnificent testimonies.
Christianity is and should be intimate. By intimate, I don’t mean we don’t fellowship with others, or share their fire for God, because inevitably, we’ll always need their encouragement, their push and their passion for God to inspire us. By intimate, I don’t mean that we’ll be stubborn and won’t listen to anyone but ourselves. By intimate, I mean our connection with God, how He deals with our heart, where He leads us are all personal. Spoken directly to our hearts by God alone.
And that relationship – no one has the right to judge that. No one has the right to say that that’s not good enough or that it’s lacking or whatever. Only God can see through that and judge that. Same with us, we can never judge other people’s personal relationship with God. We cannot judge anyone’s faith.
We are perfectly flawed, non worthy, not deserving at all – but hey, He loved and loves us relentlessly.
Thus, if this love is all compassing and all consuming in our lives as imperfect Christians, where does our condemnation and prejudice towards other people come from? Because it’s definitely not from our Christ.
God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.
He didn’t choose you because you lift your hand in the middle of worship or because you serve every Sunday, He chooses you because He loves you, despite your sins.
What Christians like us, should realize is that we are unworthy. Christianity doesn’t give us the right to walk around thinking we’re better than people, thinking we are entitled to the best possible life. Because Christianity is not sunshine and rainbows, it’s storms and trials and broken glasses and it’s overcoming that. It’s walking beaten, bloody and scarred but still utmost joyful, because our joy is not in the physical things, not in the wealth, not in the still waters, not in fame but in Christ. Only in Christ.
To all Christians reading this, to all of us – may we stop thinking like we know everything, like there’s nothing to change in our lives, because God changes us day by day, glory to glory. Let’s live with humility knowing that God is working on us despite our setbacks and shortcomings, that He isn’t giving up nor condemning us. And that’s how we should live also — let us stop scaring people away, let’s stop the prejudice, the discrimination. Let us change the way we think, the way we see people and the world. We aren’t better than anyone. We are all human. We are not here to alienate, judge, or condemn people for what they do or do not believe.
We’re here to try harder in loving people, caring for the ones who need it, inviting people in and welcoming them with open arms. We’re here to try harder in telling them that they are not alone in this battle, in reminding them that we’ve been there, that they will overcome as well. We must try harder in showing them the endless love and the ocean of grace that drowned us and washed away the dirt of our disgusting past, which is in Christ alone.
We are Christians, we are carrying the most powerful and most beautiful name. Let’s stop giving Him a bad name, He does not deserve it.
Because at the end of the day, if we are truly who we claim to be, if we are truly in the love and presence of God, it will flow down in everything we do, in everyone around us. 
