Christianity

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Is Being a Faithful Christian Actually That Hard?

I’m going to say something that might seem challenging and unconventional:

Being a faithful Christian is not actually that hard.

It’s just not. Jesus clearly acknowledged this: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. “

Speaking from personal experience, I can confirm that choosing to live a life based on His teachings actually makes life easier, not more challenging.

I’m convinced that instead of being more restricted by the Christian principles, we are actually more free.

A major theme I see in Jesus’s teachings (as well as much of the Bible, including Proverbs) that I feel doesn’t get much attention is that this all is largely rooted in emotional intelligence:

The ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges, and overcome conflict.

Being emotionally intelligent leads to being more disciplined in regards to the 7 deadly sins (pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth) and from there, we are naturally more inclined to love our neighbors as ourselves; which is connected to loving God.

This is an epiphany that has became strangely obvious to me over the past year. Each morning, I start the day by taking a 3 mile walk. During this time, I pray. I start off with the most famous prayer; the one Jesus taught his disciples:

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Naturally, when you pray this, you can’t help but visualize examples of how this personally applies to you. The most challenging part of this prayer for me is “lead us not into temptation”…

This is my theory: That you can actually get to a point in your life where there just aren’t that many temptations surrounding you anymore, if you’re living your life in accordance to the ways Jesus taught us to live.

When I think of the word “temptation”, I immediately associate it with “sin”. When I think of the word “sin”, I associate it with “an act that causes a separation between you and God, as well as others”.

So for me, as a sincerely happily married 43 year-old man, what temptations am I supposedly facing?

Let’s start with the 10 Commandments:

  1. I am the LORD your God; you shall not have strange gods before me. “No problem. One God is enough for me. And I know this also implies not making anything else a god; like my job, my family, my hobbies, etc.”
  2. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain. “That’s easy. I don’t even curse anyway. Nor do I use God’s name out of context. It just seems silly.”
  3. Remember to keep holy the LORD’s Day. “Definitely. I am at church every Sunday morning, then I intentionally take it easy the rest of the day.”
  4. Honor your father and mother. “Of course! I love parents!”
  5. You shall not kill. “Why would I want to murder anyone? I’ve never even been in a fight my entire life.”
  6. You shall not commit adultery. “What?! Remember, I am sincerely happily married. I don’t desire nor think about other women. I love my wife!”
  7. You shall not steal. “If I am praying for God to give me my daily bread, why would I need to steal someone else’s?”
  8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. “What do I have to hide? Why would I need to lie?”
  9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. “Didn’t we already do this one? Just like with only having one God, I’m good with just one woman.”
  10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods. “I am happy for my neighbors. Good for them. I celebrate their success. I don’t envy it.”

Still with me? Can you agree that following the 10 Commandment is simply just basic?

What about Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount? “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

Right. Exactly. Why wouldn’t we want to see our enemies redeemed as opposed to revenged?

But also, who are my enemies? I’m not aware that I have any. Why is that?

Now let’s look to when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was.

“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'”

Love my others as much as I love myself? I have said for years that the meaning of life is found in serving others. I am energized by connecting with other people. One of my favorite things to do is to mentor others and empower them.

And I don’t think I am better than other people either. I am overly aware I am not perfect. At any moment, I could choose to make self-destructive decisions if I was tempted to do so. It’s just that I tend to not be tempted in the first place, because “sin” just doesn’t seem interesting or appealing to me at this point in my life.

My life is more enjoyable because it is proactively directed towards pleasing God, which is based on loving other people as much as myself.

I immediately recognize and believe that I fall short of the glory of God simply by being born into this world with a sinful nature. I openly accept the gift of Jesus’s salvation for being the only perfect one.

Isn’t the whole goal of being Christian to be like Jesus? I feel like there is a paradox here:

If a person claims to be a Christian, yet continually chooses actions that go against the teachings of Christ, that person is seen as a hypocrite; to be despised.

But if a person claims to be a Christian and chooses to live faithfully in accordance of the teachings of Christ, and then claims that they just aren’t intrigued by the temptations the world has to offer, does that imply the person’s actual temptation or sin of choice is pride?

I don’t buy into that.

Instead, I believe Jesus wants us to mature in our faith to the point where temptations become quite a rare thing; to the point where we find joy in following His teachings and in serving others; all while not believing that we ourselves are greater than others and while still fully recognizing God is God and we are not.

I just don’t see what is so hard about that. Change my mind.

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Look No Further

 

I can’t think of anything I want. I can’t think of anything I need. I can’t think of what would make my life complete that I don’t have already here in front of me. And I look no further.

That is the point I have reached in life. To be fair, it’s more than a simply accurate assessment of my life, that I suddenly have an awareness of. Just as important, it is an acknowledgement of an arrival to a destination; decades into a journey.

The first four decades of my life were mainly punctuated by questions marks:

“What will it be like when I’m not a kid anymore? Where will I go to college? What should I major in? Where should I move after college? What will my actual career be? Who will I marry? How do I be a good husband? How do I be a good father? What is the meaning of life, anyway?”

But now, my life is punctuated with periods. I don’t really have any questions anymore. And the questions I do have about life… well, no human can honestly know the answer to.

I am not famous. I am not a millionaire. Yet I have more than so many famous millionaires do. If for no other reason, simply because I am not under the belief I that I need to finish the sentence:

“I’ll be happy when…”

Instead, I recognize that if I can’t be happy in the present, I can never truly be happy in the future.

It makes me think of a movie that my wife and I watch at least once every year: This is 40.

Paul Rudd’s wife’s character sets up the premise of the movie as she explains to him:

“The happiest period in people’s lives is from age 40 to 60… So this is it. We’re in it right now. We have everything we need right now to be completely happy. We’re gonna blink and be 90. So let’s just choose to be happy.”

I also am thinking of Jewish comedian Marc Maron as he explains his understanding of Christianity, in his HBO special, From Bleak to Dark:

“Everything will be amazing… when you’re dead.”

I can appreciate his perspective. Perhaps there is too much emphasis on all of our problems going away when either A) Jesus saves us from all of our annoying problems by showing up in the Rapture, or B) we ideally die in our sleep and get to live in the eternal bliss of Heaven.

While I have definitely placed in my faith in the Christian hope that there is a much better life after this one, I have also challenged my belief system by asking myself the question:

“But what if this is all there is?”

In the event that I just die and that’s it… no further consciousness nor accountability, no memories of this life nor connection to the people I knew in it… I would certainly consider that to be a confusing, cosmic tragedy- that life was nothing more grandiose.

But if that were indeed the case, the question becomes this:

“What about my life would change right now, as I am still alive? What would I do differently?”

My answer: Nothing.

As sad of a thought it would be to never see my loved ones again, the greater sorrow would be to live this gift of a human life on Earth while not making the most of every moment and not appreciating what I do have with the people I share it with.

I think of how my daughter has a microwavable baby doll that she places in our bed to keep safe while she is away at school during the day: “Daddy, Gracie is basically a real baby.” I love it.

I think of how my wife and I set up a reservation for Valentine’s Day last week at a fancy restaurant with an amazing view off the side of Lookout Mountain… but then it was so foggy we were not able to even see anything anyway. I love it.

I think of how this past Sunday I walked into the living room to see my son wearing a monkey jumpsuit while throwing his sister onto a giant beanbag. I love it.

I think of how every morning before work and school, I see my wife and daughter having “coffee time” before the day begins. I love it.

But what I can’t think of…

I can’t think of what would make my life complete that I don’t have already here in front of me.

And I look no further.

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Songs I Wrote in 2023: “St. Doubting Thomas” – 6th of 13

As I mentioned earlier in this series, one of the reoccurring themes in the songs I write is where I am sorting the doubts of my faith.

I wish I could move past the thoughts I address in this song. Maybe one day I can, though I already know that in the end, it’s a matter of me accepting that I am not in control and there is no way to prove it either way while I am still alive.

In the end, I suppose there is ultimately a 50/50 chance of being right about my Christian faith. Despite the odds, despite my obsession with unpacking concepts through logic, I am choosing to believe:

I don’t know how to feel – I don’t know what to do with this – Will I be thrown in the sea with a millstone around my neck? I believe I have enough doubt for a Baptist preacher to leave the faith – Will I be thrown in the sea? Like Jonah, am I the problem? Is this how I touch the scars of Your hands and thrust my fingers in Your side? What’s it like to just not question things when a lack of logic is what I find? I’m St. Doubting Thomas – I’m hanging on, Lord – I promise – If I were God, which I’m not, would I make people in my own image, then set them up to fail with The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil? In a spiritual sense, you could say I’ve got daddy issues – I feel like an abandoned child held over the flames of hell like a toasting marshmallow – I find this narrative odd – Is it the Wizard of Oz back there? It’s a cryptic riddle – We’re all trapped in the middle – Should I put reason to rest and pretend?

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“I Still Believe” – Song 10 – Enneagram 6 Songwriter – Analyzing Lyrics – Themes of Belonging and Security

My 10th song happened to be the last one I published before The Covid Shutdown began. I released this song on March 11, 2020; whereas the shutdown began on March 15th.

Looking back, this song would serve as the first official of several entries in the category of “Christian Questioning His Faith”. Granted, “The Meaning of Life“, my 5th song, hinted at this theme too.

Much of the doubts I was sorting through (and still am), involve me accepting the idea that a loving God allows people to suffer in this world; as well as for eternity for those who don’t believe in Him.

That is difficult me to process. It was challenging 2 and a half years ago- and it still is now, in 2022.

As the lyrics relate to me being Enneagram 6 (and not knowing that I was when I wrote this in 2020), the Enneagram 6 personality is known as ironically being both the loyal and the skeptic.

Knowing that, these lyrics are a perfect representation of that concept:

I’ve never had more faith, I’ve never had more doubt – With so many questions I’ll never figure out – My faith is so strong, I admit I could be wrong – Or does that make me weak? Still I believe I believe, I believe – Oh, I’m less of a saint, more of a sinner – Saved by grace, I know my place – I never wanted free will, nor do I still – I’m an imperfect person, I can not be trusted – But I believe, I believe I still believe, I still believe – I don’t need to understand what I can’t – And if I could it wouldn’t do any good – Choose for yourself this day whom you will serve – As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord – God bless this house, God bless this home – God bless our children as we watch them grow – I believe, I believe -Your kingdom come, your will be done – This is what I pray, I hope I don’t get in the way – I’m not of this world, only in this world -Every good thing I have comes from the Lord – I believe, I believe

So looking back on this song I wrote over 2 years ago, can you see how I am a loyalist and a skeptic? Can you see my longing for security and confirmation of my own existence; which shows my true Enneagram is actually a 6?

Feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

And now you can listen to the song, below, if you wish:

 

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“The Meaning of Life” – Song 5 – Enneagram 6 Songwriter – Analyzing Lyrics – Themes of Belonging and Security

My wife joins me again in my 5th song, which probably wins the prize for the fewest lyrics of any song I’ve written in my life. More important, though, is the dark tone in the concept of this song.

It may be subtle, but in later songs, I revisit the personal confusion I face here in this song (published on November 6th, 2019) with my own understanding of Christian theology:

To possibly end up in hell, despite never choosing to be born with a sinful nature. For an introspective Enneagram 6 like me, I have always lived in anxiety about how happens to our consciousness after we die.

Even outside of the Christian faith, it is regularly assumed that one’s understanding of and carrying out of the meaning of one’s life is ultimately connected to entry to the afterlife.

Here are the lyrics:

“Is it heaven or hell in the end? Or do we fade to a black screen? It came without warning – I never asked to be born – Time is not on our side as we’re finding the meaning of life – I choose faith and hope but there’s no way of knowing – Until it’s too late if I’m wrong, will I know it?”

So looking back on this song I wrote nearly 4 years ago, can you see the Enneagram 6? Can you see my longing for security and confirmation of my own existence?

Feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

And now you can listen to the song, below, if you wish: