I Promise I'm Not Trying to Win an Argument

Before you assume I've been brainwashed, joined a cult, or completely lost my mind, hear me out. The biggest reason I see things differently today isn't because someone argued better than everyone else—it's because I kept reading. Here’s the funny thing about scripture: It has no problem offending my opinions before it offends yours.

We’ve all heard someone confidently announce, “Well, I read the Bible…” Cool. But did you study it? I didn’t wake up one day with brand-new opinions. I just kept reading. Then I started studying. Then I realized that those aren’t always the same thing. And that’s where things got inconvenient. Because reading the Bible and studying the Bible are about as similar as reading a recipe and cooking dinner. One gives you information. The other changes what ends up on the table.

The Three Things I Just Can’t Unsee

The Bible places an almost unreasonable amount of emphasis on agape love. Imagine a world where people actually practiced it instead of putting it on t-shirts and coffee mugs. Suddenly racism looks different.

Politics looks different.

Marriage looks different.

Immigration looks different.

Social media definitely looks different

I sometimes wonder if we don’t actually hate the Bible. I think we hate what it asks us to surrender. Those are two very different things.

Here’s the part that confuses me. Almost everybody agrees Satan is called “the father of lies.” Yet we act shocked whenever deception works. We keep assuming we’ll be the exception. Meanwhile scripture has been warning us about deception from Chapter three of Genesis.

Peace Was Never the Problem. Reading the Manual Was.

We pray for peace while feeding division.

We demand justice while refusing humility.

We ask for change while protecting or favorite sins.

We want healing without repentance.

To be clear, I do not call myself a Christian because I don’t believe I’ve yet grown into the character that title deserves.  We have let self-proclaimed Christians define Christianity. Someone once said

“Everybody knows what a Christian is, but nobody wants to be one”~Unknown

So…here’s my thing

I’m not asking anyone to agree with me. I’m simply inviting you to do what changed me:

Keep reading

Keep studying.

Keep letting scripture argue with your opinions before you ask it to argue with someone else’s.

Because that’s exactly what it did to mine. And honestly…I think the world could use a little more of that.

So…that’s my thing. You don’t have to agree. But before you disagree, make sure you’re disagreeing with what the Bible actually

says—not just what you’ve always heard it says.

I’m still learning. I’m still being corrected. And if scripture can challenge my opinions, maybe it’s worth letting it challenge yours too.

I Hope to See You in the Kingdom

~Lady J.

P.S. When I say 'Hope to See You in the Kingdom,' I'm not claiming to know anyone's destiny. It's simply my sincere hope that every one of us—including me—keeps seeking God and ultimately shares in His kingdom.