Open Heart Surgery

This week I opened up the door for you readers to ask a question, and received some awesome responses. While I would like to answer all of them, for now I only have time for one. One young lady asked,

"If I'm saved by grace and forgiven for all sin (past present and future), why do I have to change my lifestyle? Friends? Surroundings? Walk?"

I feel like this is one of those issues that pushes people away from the idea of walking into a church, engaging in a spiritual conversation, and more importantly just reading the Bible. Nobody likes the feeling of somebody trying to change them, no matter how powerful, smart, or well-intentioned the person is. We all have that person in our lives...

That family member who always has something negative to say about us:
"Pero mija, que gorda estas!"

That friend who always wants to change the way we do something:
"You're such bad shooter! Just pass ME the ball!"

That math teacher that has it out for you:
"Sorry, but you need to show your work the way I taught you to solve the formula." 

The more people try to change us, the more we try to avoid them. Christians need to understand this better than anyone else, because it seems like they are always trying to change people. This question, coming from a Christian, shows the misconception clearly. We forget that it is GOD who changes people, and feel like we have to change our lives ourselves.

When I came to Christ, nobody gave me a rule book of things I was supposed to do, or not do. Nobody sat down with me and gave me a "new believer orientation" with a basic layout of things that were forbidden. Nobody showed me a bunch of scripture verses that looked down upon drinking, drugs, sleeping around, or cursing. And if someone who claims to be a Christian is giving you any of these, make distance. Quickly. You don't want to associate with someone like that just yet.

So how did my views, practices, morals, and interests change? God performed surgery; Open Heart Surgery. During the first two years of my walk with Christ, I still enjoyed the nightlife, partying at all the craziest clubs, and throwing house parties. When I got baptized, these interests didn't just "go away". It wasn't until my relationship with God grew that I lost interest in these things.

We forget that our relationship with God is just like any relationship with people. The more you get to know someone, the more you learn about them. And if you truly fall in love with them, you will do the things they like because you love them. Not because you have to. Not because they'll punish you if you don't, but because you just want to make them happy for making you happy. In the same way, while we are given complete grace for our sins by Christ dying on the cross, an obedience to the ways of God has nothing to do with obeying laws, and everything to do with showing God we love Him and put Him first.

And to run with this a little bit further, it is these very changes He makes in our lives that make the quality of life so much better! He doesn't just make up these things to have us perform for Him... My life has just been drastically less chaotic, less stressful, and less complicated since I left the "trap" and began listening to God. It's not that life becomes easy when we follow Christ, but that we now know what we are living for. A life completely devoted to Jesus Christ heads in one direction: Heaven.