Being a Christian means believing in Jesus and following his teaching. It is not that complicated, there are no manuals to study to understand where the essence of Christianity lies. Being a Christian and therefore believing in God basically means doing two things.
Love God
Love others, everyone, without exclusions.
Being a Christian means trusting in God
I am sure we are part of a grand plan – God’s divine plan for each of us. We are like pieces of a puzzle, each one is indispensable and unique, has its own place, and serves to complete this divine plan.
Trusting in God’s will means starting to think of yourself as a fundamental part of his divine plan. It also means believing that everything will be for the best.
One of the most important phrases to inspire us is the one in which Jesus explains that not even a sparrow can die without God willing it. Nothing happens without God’s permission.
Believing in him means believing that everything, however difficult and complex, is part of his divine plan. A father who loves his son wants the best for him, wants him to be happy.
But a father who truly loves his son knows that he will not really give him love if he accepts every whim or every request. As well as avoiding any difficulty, he would make him weak and unable to face the challenges of life.
A father who loves his son wants to protect him and wants him happy. But he knows that not everything his son asks him will be really helpful and positive.
God is a father who loves us totally. He wants our good and our happiness. And He knows what is really best for our life and our happiness. If I asked you to tell me what will happen in the next 24 hours, you would not be able to answer me with certainty.
Neither you nor me or anyone else know the future. You don’t know what’s going to happen in 20 minutes, it’s hard for you to know for sure what’s best for you for the next 10 and 20 years.
Believing in God, therefore, means accepting everything he has in store for us, facing every challenge with certain certainties. If God allows it, it will still be for the best, you have nothing to fear.
God loves you and wants you to be happy
He will always give you the strength you need to face and solve any problem. Accepting does not mean suffering, every challenge is an opportunity to act.
It makes no sense to reject what happens to us or to think it unfair, God has allowed it, there will be an excellent reason. Focus on living this challenge in the best way.
Some things we will find difficult to understand and accept, and everyone looks for an explanation, a meaning.
Some events are really difficult to accept and understand. I think of death, illness, or cruelty that we hear about or that we sometimes experience.
Some will tell you that they are tests that God uses to verify how much we really trust Him. Others that they are punishments to let you know that you are wrong and allow you to change.
If I want to get strong, I have to train, if I’m wrong, a punishment could make me understand.
I say maybe because I can’t know what God really has in mind. But I see it from a different perspective, I consider them opportunities.
Every moment we find ourselves making choices, it is part of our nature. Sometimes they are as trivial as deciding what clothes to wear, what to eat, or which way to go.
Other times they concern about how we will react in the face of injustice, what we will say in a trial, whether to give birth to a child. I think that every choice is always an opportunity, the opportunity to love.
Being a Christian is believing in God, therefore, means accepting reality with confidence. With the conviction that He will always give us the strength to solve every problem, and choosing to take this great opportunity.