I want to be a Christian. But what does that mean exactly? Early on I thought it meant going to church and professing my faith in Christ. As years went on, I learned that to be a Christian I had to serve the poor, give to the needy, and share my testimonial so I could bring others to God.
I try to help those in need. I see someone struggling and I want to help. I want to do what Jesus taught me. Take care of the down and out, the marginalized. I want to help them feel the love of God through my actions. I take that seriously.
At what point, though, does a person need to take responsibility for their own choices? Their own actions. I understand that difficult times befall people, especially kids. Whether it’s a dysfunctional family situation, or bullying at school, kids sometimes suffer. And it breaks my heart.
But how long do I coddle, nurture, care for someone who just doesn’t want to be helped. Who gets so much pleasure, for lack of a better word, out of being the victim that they just don’t want to change.
Does there come a point where its time to give up? Does there come a time when I have to accept that there is nothing more I can do? Would Jesus do that? Does Jesus expect me to do that?
Today, I’m struggling with my faith. I still believe in God and I still believe in Jesus, because I believe that it is in God where I find all the goodness and love in the world, but I can honestly say, I don’t know what it means to be a Christian. I don’t know if anybody does.
What a great thought-provoking question. So hard to know what the end of the line should be when helping someone. People have to be able to help themselves but at the same time sometimes they need a leg up to get started!
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