Wednesday, May 1, 2013

You Were Always There: On Faith.

Note: Over the course of the past three days, I feel like there have been a number of events that have led up to this post. I just feel like this issue has slammed me again and again, to the point where I can't just sit idly by and not say something. I recognize that my position and beliefs are not shared by most of the people who probably read this blog, and that's okay. I'd just ask that you take a minute to consider what I have to say...

A few days ago, Lizzy was in her room for quiet time. It had been a rough day, and I was trying to get Becca down for a nap, and was getting flustered that she was just screaming and screaming. Soon, I heard Lizzy start to sing to herself, as she often does during quiet time. Sometimes, it's nonsensical songs that she's made up herself, but this particular day, she started to sing:

Bless the Lord O my soul, O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name.

I peeked my head in the room, and said, "Hey Lizzy, whatcha singing about?" 
She responded, "I'm singing about God mama!"
"Lizzy, you're pretty awesome, do you know that?"
Lizzy shrugged and then said, "I know. God made me that way."
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Yesterday, I was catching up on a book that I'm reading for a Bible Study I'm doing with a group of Mom's from Mom's Group. So far, I've really enjoyed the book and have gotten a lot out of it. But yesterday, I got to a section of the book that made me so frustrated, that I actually threw the book across the room. Essentially, what I took away from the passage was, 'Perhaps you've always gone to church, were baptized, or even confirmed. But none of those things really make you a Christian, unless you were old enough to really understand what you were saying. So, if you're not sure whether you're saved, pray the Sinner's Prayer with me right now, ask God into your heart, and then you'll know for sure that you're saved.'
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Recently, a 7 year old girl that I know had someone ask her if she had asked Jesus into her heart. They continued on to encourage her that she needed to ask Jesus into her heart in order to make sure that she was saved, because she was baptized as an infant, and since she was too young to know what was happening, it didn't really count. It wasn't enough, especially since she wasn't fully submerged. She turned to her mom, and said, "Mom, why do I need to ask Jesus into my heart when he's already there?" 
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Tonight, I sat down, excited to begin a devotional Bible reading program on my phone. I settled in to read the introduction, and came across the following paragraph: "Have you ever heard someone say 'I’ve been a Christian all my life' and felt a little funny about that? It’s not just about splitting hairs or semantics because the bad news is once we were not His people. Being found isn’t as beautiful if you don’t admit you were once lost." 
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I've been a Christian all my life.
I was baptized when I was young. I wasn't dunked, I was sprinkled.
I never said the Sinner's Prayer. In fact, I'd never even heard that term until a few years ago.
I don't remember a specific moment when I asked Jesus into my heart.
I don't have a dramatic story of coming out of the darkness and into the light. 
There were times that I had a relationship with God, and times that I didn't. 
I continue to sin every single day of my life, and am daily in need of forgiveness.
But He was always there. He *is* always there.

Can I speak frankly, friends? I'm sort of tired of being told that my baptism wasn't real because I was too young to speak for myself. Or that I need to be baptized again to be saved because I was sprinkled and not dunked. Or that even when affirming my faith during First Communion, I didn't really know what I was saying or what it meant. I'm tired of brothers and sisters in Christ implying that my faith isn't "real" because I haven't said the Sinner's Prayer or can't remember a specific time when I asked Jesus into my heart.

Is salvation something that I receive based on what I've done? Once I've gone through a checklist of criteria? No. Salvation is by grace, through faith. The doing has already been done on the cross. And that faith part? It's simple. Straightforward, even. "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved," (Romans 10:9, NIV). 

Can we, as brothers and sisters in Christ acknowledge that such a declaration can be made in 1,000 different ways? Through saying the Apostle's Creed during a weekly church service.  By saying the Sinner's Prayer. By a little child singing Jesus Loves Me. By asking Jesus into our heart. By a simple prayer of "God, I believe, please help my disbelief." There are SO MANY different scenarios that I can't possibly list them all.

It's not my job--EVER--to tell someone that maybe, possibly,*I* think they might not actually be saved, so they should do X,Y, and Z to make sure that they really are. It's not my job--EVER--to tell a child that they don't really understand what they're saying, or that they're not old enough to really believe. Lizzy understands. She lives out her faith in the simplest ways, sometimes with a purer understanding of God's truth than I have. During swimming lessons (and in Wal-Mart, and in the car, and while going to the bathroom), she often sings a song that she made up at the top of her lungs. Part of it goes like this: 
I'm so happy that Jesus is alive. 
Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ the Lord is alive!
And he saaaaaavvvvvveeeeedddddd me! 

She knows. She believes. She is saved. And as she gets older, I hope she never ever has to hear anyone tell her that her faith isn't as "beautiful" as someone else's because she had that faith from the time that she was young. Because honestly, that's crap. It hurts my heart. God rejoices in each one of our stories of faith. Whether that story starts at birth, 3, 15,  21, 52, 77, or on our deathbed. Whether that story starts in a loving home, a moment of terror, a hospital room, or a prison cell. Whether we ask Jesus into our heart, or whether we can't ever remember a time without Him there. To God, every story that entails the simple truth of Romans 10:9 is equally as beautiful. Equally as worthy. Equally as deserving of celebration. 

And assembled as one, in the name of the Son
lifting hearts, lifting hands, celebrating as friends
and proclaiming the Lord, all our praises afford
we are brothers and sisters in Christ. 

17 comments:

  1. A very well written piece, thank you for putting in to words what I too have struggled with but was never able to fully express. You have a beautiful faith and your daughter has learned from your example. Thank you for writing this.

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  2. as the saying goes...."sing it sister" - Amen

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  3. Very well put, I completely agree. I am so proud of Lizzy for being open with her faith. You set a good example to other moms (me) on how to bring a daughter into a faithful life.

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  4. Meredith, I loved reading your thoughts on this.

    I always felt an uneasiness in my heart when people talked about the moment they were saved. I never had that. I know I'm saved...Jesus is my Savior. But I certainly can't recall my "moment". For me it was more of a process. And there's nothing wrong with that. God is the author of our lives....and boy am I glad we all have different stories!

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  5. Amen!!! Meredith, thank you so much for sharing this. I seriously shouted out amen several times while reading.

    I was raised to believe the sinners prayer was the only way to heaven. But when I returned to the Church, I started doubting that teaching and now I'm so proud to be part of a church that does not teach that prayer as the end all and be all. I love what you said about recognizing many things as that declaration. So true!!

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  6. This is a beautiful post. That prayer, and the requirement of "asking Jesus into your heart" to "get to heaven" is one of the biggest problems I have with religion. When I was 12, I was at a Baptist Church camp, and my 16 year old counselor told me that I had to "ask Jesus to be in my heart" right then, just in case my bus crashed on the way home and I died, because if I didn't I'd go to hell. Exact words.

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  7. Amen!!! My little 4 year old daughter talking about her friend, Jesus is now an 18 year old wondering what degree in college can you find that will combine children's ministry and math. She has had a personal relationship with God separate from mine her whole life. It's called FAITH and GRACE!!! What a blessing for Lizzy!!!

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  8. I had a pasor once tell me that being a Christian was like being a saddle horse. Some horses are born in the stable and know the feel of a saddle from their birth. Some horses are born wild and must be broken to wear a saddle. In the end neither horse is better than the other, they both ended up where they needed to be. Some of us grow up learning about The Lord and living for Jesus even as children (what a beautiful gift!) and there are those who have more dramatic conversion stories of when they were 'broken' . Both paths, all the stories, are beautiful and perfect and have gotten us where we need to be.
    Also- the faith of children is a wonderful thing. There is a reason that Jesus reaches out to the children and advises the adults in the crowd to learn from them.
    I really enjoyed your post. :)

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  9. love this. and it is o so true!

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  10. love this. and it is o so true!

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  11. I agree with you. The first half of your post was what I grew up hearing day in and day out. I really don't think we're going to get to the gates of heaven and God's going to go, "Oh, nope. You missed it by one tenth of a point because you didn't get baptized again when you were old enough to understand." If God was that kind of literal God, I don't think he would have given us as humans the ability to think outside of the box.

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  12. Love this. I wish people could just let everyone have the "own way" of faith and support and celebrate each others differences. Faith is personal and individual. One prayer cannot change who someone is... I just can't wrap my head around that one either.

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  13. great post. i actually avoided reading it for a few days...but i loved it! :) we're baptizing our son in a few weeks and plan to raise him catholic. no big dramatic saving...just hopes for living a good life, loving God, and treating others as you would like to be treated. i like living in a country where we get to choose our paths and have our own spiritual journeys.

    i love following your blog/ig. you're a great mom and such a real person.

    thanks for the post!

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  14. Love this post. Full of truth, love and an example and testament to who God really is. You are a shining example of a woman/wife/mother/friend who walks with The Lord, even when it's hard and ugly. Our faith sounds very similar..:something we should share over coffee!! Thanks for sharing..... Amen sister.

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  15. Love this post. Full of truth, love and an example and testament to who God really is. You are a shining example of a woman/wife/mother/friend who walks with The Lord, even when it's hard and ugly. Our faith sounds very similar..:something we should share over coffee!! Thanks for sharing..... Amen sister.

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  16. "Is salvation something that I receive based on what I've done? Once I've gone through a checklist of criteria? No. Salvation is by grace, through faith. The doing has already been done on the cross. And that faith part? It's simple. Straightforward, even. 'If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved,' (Romans 10:9, NIV)."

    This. So well put and easy to understand. +10 to you. :)

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