Why I am Still a Christian

Over my years at the Spectrum, I have written on a variety of topics. My favorite articles are always Christian-themed.

As someone who was raised in a Christian home and has dedicated my life to Jesus, I find that a lot of my peers who were raised going to church have walked away from the way they were raised.

There are millions of reasons this could happen. I wanted to share why, even as an adult, I have and will continue to choose Jesus over everything else.

One of the biggest trends towards people who leave Christianity of all denominations is that they can’t stand the people in church. I get it; Christians can be cliquey and insensitive and seem like they don’t understand the world we live in today. Christians are imperfect, like everyone else. This doesn’t excuse their behavior — as Christians are called to imitate Christ (1st Corinthians 11:1) — but it does give many people a motive to leave the church.

I understand; even I don’t always like going to church. I’ve been to over twenty churches in my life, of various denominations. Some I’ve just visited once, while others were for years. Catholic, Lutheran, Lutheran Brethren, Evangelical, non-denominational and everything in between. I’ve been there. Churches can be cliquey and even as a lifelong Christian I don’t usually feel like I fit in.

Why stay a Christian if the church is imperfect? Because Jesus is perfect. If I were a Christian for the sake of other people, I would leave too. I’ve met wonderful, godly people in my life who demonstrate Christ on earth, but I’ve also been let down by what is supposed to be the brotherhood of Christianity. I follow Jesus, not people who go to church.

My family has a solid faith in Jesus. My parents worked hard to make sure our family had stability and faith growing up. I have relatives who are life-long Christians and ones who found Jesus later in life. Both testimonies are hugely impactful. I’ve see God’s faithfulness to generations through the years, and I also see how He takes broken situations and redeems them. There are millions of people with testimonies across the span of time who can speak on how Jesus changed their lives. Not Christianity, a church building, a person or a certain mindset: Jesus himself. You actually can’t understand this feeling unless you have experienced it yourself. I know I have it, this peace that passes understanding, which I can’t describe — you just know.

People might ask: why be a Christian if the world is still a mess and bad things still happen? God doesn’t promise an easy life. Jesus was despised and ultimately, killed. Why would His followers expect any better? His promise is that we WILL have trouble in this world (John 16:33), but our joy is that He overcame the world by conquering death when Jesus rose from the dead. We are going to have troubles, but if you are already assured that Jesus is still taking care of you (1st Peter 5:7) and that even if the world harms you, your soul and spirit are safe with Jesus, what else matters?

Yes, it still bothers me to see a world where innocent people suffer. Yes, there are times I don’t understand what God is doing. All I can do is trust that His eternal plan is better than what we can think or imagine. I don’t know why; I will probably spend my life asking why, just like so many other people. But if I believe the Bible is true, then I will keep trusting.

I didn’t sign up to be a Christian expecting life to be amazing, for all my wishes and dreams to come true, for fame or fortune or even just a free ticket to heaven. I choose to be a Christian because I know that Jesus died for me, and He is still taking care of me. I know that I would not have the peace or be the person I am today without Jesus. I never felt the need to break away and find my own “truth” or search for something missing: I never felt something was missing. I have studied and learned about other faiths and belief systems, but I already found what I was looking for.

Has it been easy? Absolutely not. Will I keep going? Yes, a billion times over. Nothing compares to knowing that you are loved, your sins being forgiven and having the blessed assurance that you don’t have to be perfect or “good.” With that assurance, why should I be afraid of anything on earth?