Being a Christian

     It's all about Christ, at first.  Finding Him.  Finding out who He is, what He did for us.     It becomes about repenting, being forgiven and...forgiving!  Then it is rejoicing, and sharing the Good News with others.     It is joining a church - being baptized, taking communion, confirming faith.  It is about growing in faith and experiencing grace.  About celebrating His birth, death - and life!  It is about anticipating His return.     It becomes about reading The Bible and discovering that His Word is alive and speaks to us right where we are.     It becomes about caring - remembering the name of the person who sits in the next pew, calling someone who is sick, helping someone in need.     It becomes about serving.  About figuring out how many little communion cups are needed for the service, finding out how hard it is to get a lot of people excited about mission work, finding out that you must never again introduce glitter into a Sunday school classroom of four-year olds.     At times  it is trudging through the desert, with no relief in sight, but only hope in Him to cling to.  Facing fears, coping with illness, suffering disappointments - then, oh, then it's about groaning but still growing - in trust.     It becomes about prayer.     Sometimes, even then, it becomes about getting up early on Sunday morning when you would rather stay in bed, and wondering where Jesus is in all of the things that it has become.     Take heart, soon enough it becomes about finding Him again!  Finding Christ!     Christ.  Christ.  Light of the world, beautiful Savior, prince of peace Christ!  Jesus, dear Jesus.     It is finding Him again.  Finding who He is, and what He did for you.  Finding that all along and after all this time, you were the one who was found.