I Still Don’t Know What Kind of Christan I Am
What kind of Christan are you? This is a question that I’ve been asked my entire life and I still have no idea how to answer.
It was Sunday morning.
My mom would wake us up bright and early. My sister and I would wear frilly dresses and make sure our hair was never out of place.
We would pack into the car and be on our way.
We never missed church on Sundays growing up. Sometimes we would even go to church on Wednesdays too.
As a child, going to church was fun. It was always a new adventure and there was always something new to be learned.
When I got older I learned that my church wasn’t like many other churches. Sometimes people were taken aback when they came to church with me as a teenager.
They would ask me, “But what kind of Christian are you?” I would just shrug and say, “We’re Christian.”
My Religion
You might be wondering what the heck is so different about my religion? Honestly, it may not even be that different from yours!
When we go to church we sing songs. We praise God and it’s amazing.
Some of the songs we sing together are upbeat and we clap our hands. While other songs are slow and you just sing to him. You lift your hands and praise God while you sing.
We take time to pray. We thank him for all that he’s done for us. We ask him to help us with any sick friends or family members as well as any hard times anyone might be going through. When we pray we really talk with God directly.
Then we listen to a message prepared by our pastor. It’s normally a message that teaches us something from the bible.
Our pastor loved to relate his messages to our everyday lives. This way when we went home we could really use what he was saying throughout the week.
Church for us could last anywhere from an hour and a half to three hours. It all depended on the day.
Unfortunately, as an adult, I go to church less and less but I think that’s okay.
A few years back our church went through a major break up. Meaning the congregation literally fell apart.
People choose sides and one side literally started a new church. Our family didn’t know where we fit in so we sadly just phased ourselves out of the church scene.
I still carry my same beliefs with me and believe in God. I pray nearly every day. I thank God for all he’s done for me and everything he is doing for me.
My parents recently started looking for a new church to attend. With the pandemic, it has actually been easier for them to live stream a church service right to the living room.
I don’t believe that I need to hear the same teachings over and over again to know that there is a God who loves me and that I shouldn’t sin. I know there’s more to the story but those are the basics.
Other Religions Scare Me
I suppose saying that other religions scare me is a bit dramatic but they do make me nervous.
A few months ago, I went to a Catholic church with my boyfriend and his grandma because she really wanted us to go. My boyfriend was raised Catholic but this was the first time he had been to church in years as well.
When I was younger I had gone to a Catholic church with my friends but I’m pretty sure the parents had just shoved us off into a room to play.
I never realized how many rituals and sayings you need to know to be Catholic.
Make sure you touch the holy water when you walk into the church. But what do you do with it?
Then you sit at the pew but then you get down on your knees?
Now there are all of these chants and sayings. They go SO FAST!
Don’t get me started on the hand motions. I’ve seen them in movies but I have no idea how to do them.
When I went to church with my boyfriend and his grandma I was as respectful as possible. Yet for someone with anxiety, I felt like all eyes were on me. Were they judging me for not knowing what to say or do?
I was doing my best to try to fit in but overall just felt so intimidated.
After church, I had to sit down and think about it. All of those people had probably been going there since they were little kids.
Their religion was ingrained in their brain just like mine was! This was why people were always so shocked and impressed with my church because it was different from theirs.
Well, What Am I?
After years and years of friends, classmates, and coworkers asking what type of Christian I was I’ve always wanted to know. I’ve asked my mom and grandma, yet even they couldn’t have come up with an answer.
In the United States, there are 200 Chrisitan denominations. I’ve always leaned towards the Church of God when asked by someone but even they aren’t satisfied with that answer.
I feel like since my church never put a label on my Christianity, then why should I?
I Am a Christian
Regardless my faith in God still means the most to me. I don’t go to church much at all anymore but I still think and pray every single day.
Putting labels on things just seems unnecessary. We should just be happy for what we have without having to put every little thing into a neat box.
