A Little Religion

I was once an avid church goer. I’d get up and put on my Sunday best and head to my particular house of worship. Through periods of consistent and not so consistent activity in church I made some great friends and learned some things.

I would never say it made me unhappy but thinking back now, it didn’t really make me happy either.

One day I decided that church just wasn’t for anymore and religion wasn’t something I believed in and now many years have passed since I have been in a church for more than a wedding. I believe I am a happier person for it.

I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with church and religion. I think those things can definitely serve their purpose for someone looking for something they can’t find elsewhere.

On the flip side, there are ugly sides to religion. There are those who consider their relationships to God to be more special because they attend church or because of their particular brand of church. There are those who believe that it’s ok to be the judge and jury forgetting that Christ’s love was unconditional.

So again, I left church. I didn’t need friends or validation and I didn’t like being taught that I was somehow better than someone else based on my beliefs.

I now worship in what I believe to be the true house of the Lord, his earth. I sing praises for the beautiful sun and beaches of summer, the colors of the leaves in the fall, the crisp white snow that blankets the streets in the winter and the rain that helps the beautiful flowers to bloom as the earth comes back alive in the spring.

I honor Him by following my heart. I take leaps of faith always certain that He will be there to catch me if I fall.