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When I wasn’t a Christian (which was for the majority of my life). I used to assume the very religious people were close to God because of how religious they were. I always wanted to be close to God, but at the same time didn’t want to be like the religious people that I encountered. They came across as judgmental, prideful, arrogant and seemed so mean. Now that I am a Christian myself and have studied the scriptures, I have come to realize Jesus spent much of his time preaching against the religious leaders of his time.

The Pharisees (who were the religious leaders) knew scripture inside and out, they prayed in public, fasted, and taught others how to study the Law. They were very religious... These were the people that I would come across when I didn't know the Lord and be super intimidated by.... but what I didn't know at the time was that the Pharisees were far from knowing God.

WHAT!? This shocked me. That was when I first started to realize that the religious do not represent who God is, Jesus does. As I studied the Gospels and the life of Jesus my eyes began to be open to who God really was. The religious Pharisees were the ones Jesus was telling us NOT to be like. The Pharisees kept away from people who were different from them and they hated the “sinners”. In Matthew 9:10, “Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”

The religious leaders assumed they were not sinners, but the reality is…. We are all sinners in need of a Savior (Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.) The more I grow in my understanding of the Gospel, the more my heart breaks seeing Christians have an us versus them mentality (like the Pharisees). What that creates is a mindset that one side is right and the other side is the enemy. We need to stop thinking of people as the enemy. Jesus never saw people as the enemy.

My heart aches seeing such division and hatred amongst people especially Christians towards people who don't agree with them. Personally, I have realized as I’ve gotten to know people who are very different from me (vote different, look different, live different lifestyles etc.) we actually have much in common. I literally cry sometimes seeing people be so ugly to each other because they have different opinions, or they see things differently, or they choose to live a different lifestyle than each other. Why are we so against people who don't think, look, vote, or live like us? Why are we so quick to turn our backs on those who disagree with us?

Jesus never did that. He valued all people and let them know how loved they were. Instead of people seeing Christians as hateful, I want to be a Christian that loves like Christ. I want people to know that God pursues us and desires ALL to know and follow Him. God is not against us, He is for us. Jesus touched others with his kindness, compassion, and friendship. Jesus broke down barriers and loved others. I often pray that the Lord creates a heart in me that looks like Jesus. I want to try to understand those people who are different from me. I want to find common ground with them. I find that is such a good way to break down barriers and realize that we aren’t all that different from each other.

I am not perfect, so sometimes I fall into the temptation of trying to prove to people who disagree with me that I am right and they are wrong, but that should not be my goal. I know I fall short all the time and might sometimes represent God poorly, but that's why I pray that the Lord humbles me and creates a heart in me that loves better. (1Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply). The us versus them mentality is so destructive. Even though we are all so different, we can still love one another. People are not the enemy, Satan is. (“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”Ephesians 6:12.)

Jesus was never afraid of, nor did he avoid or push away those who were not like Him. He loved them!

“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. ....Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! 17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. “ Romans 12:11-17