JESUS LOVES DESIGN

I was talking with some friends today and they were, in part, recounting what religion has to done people. As I heard the horrors recounted (I will not share them here; you likely already know them all too well), I realize how bastardized what should be good news has become in the religious system of our day.

Rather than proclaim with great boldness: “You are loved. Relax. Go have a bottle of wine with some friends and strangers. Celebrate the uniqueness of both the One who loves you and of yourself! Invite me to eat with you and we can talk and get to know each other,” religion says, “Serve, be good, do the right thing, keep working hard, strive for purity, obey, submit, follow external instructions, and no matter what, conform so that you look just like us.”

Religion says: Celebrate the same way we do, with decency and order, and be sure you stay in line. Be careful who you hang out with—you don’t want a bad influence rubbing off on you. Appearances are everything, so choose carefully.

Love says: Let’s celebrate! Go wild, tip over the edge! Tell everyone they are welcome to my party! Be expansive, wildly open, stupidly generous, and ridiculously joyous. Invite the oddest people you can find—please! Shower one another with openness and love and being authentic. What great gifts you have for each other! Give them indiscriminately.

Religion says: Weigh your options. Try to be sure you’re on the right path. Be cautious so you don’t get out of the will of God.

Love says: Throw caution to the wind. Be the wild self you were created to be, filled with passion and ready to make lots of mistakes. No need to fear; I have it all covered!

Religion says: Do this. Don’t do that. If you do this, I will bless you. If you don’t do this, I will not bless you.

Love says: You don’t need to change a thing for me. You could never disappoint me. My love encompasses all you do. I have thrown away the measuring stick for all time!

Religion says: It’s safe to come out! We want to beat you over the head when you do and tell you how totally unacceptable you are for daring to think differently than we do. Heretic!

Love says: It’s safe to come out! You can be your authentic self, in all your glorious messiness. I see all of your BS anyway, so why bother hiding it? I am love and I embrace you completely.

And, perhaps, the worst contrast of all:

Religion says: Keep on trying. One more altar call. One more prayer. One more donation. One more effort. Try just a little bit harder. You can be “fixed” if you focus more on yourself.

Love says: It is finished! All that’s left is the celebration! Enter into what I’ve done. Let’s have the most passionate, electrifying, fun, wild rollercoaster ride together!

If it doesn’t sound absolutely too good to be true, then you haven’t heard the true message of Love. I can only think that people who still walk in religious ways have simply not met the One who is Love.

Written by Tracy and found by James Lock