With God’s Grace and our own inner goodness, we can transform our lives into something beautiful.
We withhold love from so many in our culture because we see their sin. I feel like the best analogy actually is whoever embodies the opposite side of the political spectrum you’re on: Jesus doesn’t really seem to do cancel culture. Even those who do some pretty lousy things are capable of improving themselves, their quality of life, and the lives of the people around them. God loves even those people.
We might not all sin with equal gravity and horror, but we all sin one way or the other.
Jesus’ radical inclusivity is something the late Rachel Held Evans wrote about frequently.
Jesus came to redeem us. It is never too late. The belief you’ve gone too far to be able to turn back is a fallacy. Yes, we become members of Christ’s Body through baptism, but wow, that Body falls ill at times and becomes deeply dysfunctional!
We are wanted by God, no matter what we’ve done or who we are. This truth is why I remain Christian, despite modern Christianity’s struggles and contradictions.
In the 21st century, so many Christians are losing their touch with the core of the Gospel: that Jesus came for sinners. Too many come off judgmental. It is horrifying because when that happens, Christianity loses its transformative power.
Christianity has sometimes twisted its power into zealotry, failing to bring the healing and change people need.
As the late Rachel Held Evans is often quoted as saying, “what makes the gospel offensive isn’t who it keeps out but who it lets in.” (Inspired: Rachel Held Evans)
That includes people that we may or may not like. I’m pretty sure God includes people in the grand scope of divine Love and Grace who would surprise both conservatives and progressives. God doesn’t base Grace on our own “worthiness” or “innocence,” but on God’s own character. I’m not sure I’ve ever believed God gives gifts such as healing, love, or the ability to change our lives, based on race, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, political partisanship, or even misdeeds, real or perceived.
When I say healing or transformation, I don’t mean changing someone’s identity. I mean the healing of wounds inflicted by the world, and the transformation of fear and despair into joy and hope, whatever that might look like to that person.
God is deeply faithful, even to those we struggle to love the most. I believe God calls us to love them too, as a part of our relationship with Them. But even when we fall short, God’s Grace steadies us, so we can begin again. My faith tells me we have not be forgotten, nor will we ever be.
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