I recently read an article about a pastor who said he was leaving Christianity because it didn't work for him. The article was about how God didn't work in his marriage and how Christians were mean. I think it also mentioned how God didn't seem to bless him with material things. While reading it I discovered that he was really upset that his congregation didn't approve of the affair he was having with a married woman. While I can't relate to having affairs with married women I can relate to how sometimes it seems as if Christianity isn't working.
I think that many of us can relate to that. But there are a few in the church that a former minister friend of mine called the Ken and Barbie syndrome people. They are people who seem to be perfect and have the perfect life. Their life is a testimony to Gods blessings and making your life better in every way. They seem plastic and not real, but they do exist or at least that is the front they put on. But I do believe that some people have it really good. Others don't though, for some Christians life is tough. God doesn't seem to be blessing them and bad stuff happens to them on a regular basis. For them, Christianity doesn't appear to work like it does for others. You read in the Bible and in people's testimonies how God made people wealthy and how everything seemed to be blessed and work for them after the Lord moved in their lives. Their whole life changed and is something to be admired.
It Doesn't Work for Him
There was a time in my life when it seemed it was going that way then it changed. Now I really don't think anyone would want my life. It certainly doesn't make people say, "Wow, Jesus made Adam's life so much better and I want the kind of life he now has." My life is not something to be admired and makes people want to come to Jesus. It has been tough; things haven't gone my way. I had to be stuck doing things that don't bring happiness and joy but that brought me pain and problems. And I know I am not the only one, others have been there or are there now. There were some in the Bible who went through it. The disciples didn't have it great, many of them spent time not having very much and being jailed and persecuted, some put to death. There is also the story of Job who for no good reason had a change in luck and things went way south. Their lives weren't to be envied! At least not in the modern way people look at Christianity. I think the key is how the pastor in the article I first mentioned said: "Christianity didn't work for him." The "work for him" part is what I want to point out. In modern Christianity, everyone believes that Christianity should make our lives so much better and actually work for us. When I say work for us, I mean we call the shots and it does a job for us.
Christianity wasn't meant to make our lives perfect or for us to always be envied. Christianity was meant to bring the kingdom to earth through us, put us into right standing with God and for us to be in relationship with the father. We aren't meant to always call the shots. We can, however, have blessings and have a more perfect life and that requires making the right decisions in life and working for stuff. There can be many reasons Christianity doesn't seem to work for your life the way it does others.
It could be sin, bad decisions, not working for the right stuff in the right way, or just being born with something like a disability or having life give you setbacks. Bad stuff happens to good people for no good reason sometimes it seems. But that doesn't mean Christianity doesn't work. It just means that life isn't perfect and you're living in reality.
One more thing - don't compare yourself to other people or seek to be envied. Be yourself. Live your own life. Each person has unique circumstances that make them who they are and where they are at in life. Your life is not like your neighbor Bill's life. Looking at other people and comparing yourself will only make you unhappy and rob you of the joy the Lord wants you to have. Even if your life isn't going well, God may be working in the little things. It's like a puzzle - little pieces make up a beautiful picture. And Christianity doesn't work for you, you work for it. Make someone else's life better and get the focus off you.
Be blessed!
Adam Becker
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