I am a Christian
That means I looked at my life
Saw that the mess I was in
Was too much for me to bear alone
And called on a Savior

My status as a “child of God”
Does not mean I am weak
Because I rely on a greater power
Nor does it mean I am naïve
Because I do not behave in the more “mature”
Ways of the world I left behind
But simply means that I am striving
To follow in the footsteps
Of my father and my older brother

I am not a plastic, stained glass image of righteousness
Who stands with a halo over her head
And walks with the stiffness
Of a cardboard replica of herself
Denying the fact that she has feelings
And showing the world an impenetrable fortress
That sometimes even God cannot cross

I do not live on crumbs tossed from the windows of heaven
Nor do I rely on distantly dispersed “financial blessings”
Although my eyes are heaven-ward
My feet are firmly planted on the ground
And I do not wander misty-eyed
On ethereal “faith walks”
After high priced miracle workers.

I am a Christian
Subject to crises of faith
Sleepless nights pacing the floor in agony of spirit
Instances of acting like less than what I claim
Yet I know in the depths of my soul
That what determines my identity as the daughter of the King
Is not based on my performance
But being reborn into His image

I am a Christian
Not an oddity of “holier than thou” perfection
Not a “pie in the sky” philosopher
But a flesh and blood person
Who heard that there was a better way
And instead of rationalizing, denying, or ignoring the gospel
Chose to act on it.

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