you know something?

Christians aren't perfect.
It seems obvious, I know, but I think it's a fact easily overlooked; it's something that I've always known but never really understood.

Until now.

As most of you know, I spent last week as a CIT (counsellor in training) at a week-long, overnight camp about an hour away from home. I got to meet some crazy-awesome people, had my first taste of camper rivalry, and spent a few late hours laughing with my fellow counsellors.

It was a great week, don't get me wrong. I so badly wish I could go back this summer -- barring any unforseen circumstances, I plan to return next year.

But I did learn a few things.

It's not that I ever thought we (as Christians) were perfect. Because I know we're not. I've seen us mess up -- seen myself make tons of mistakes.

I guess I just thought that they were all going to be little mistakes.

Spending time at camp taught me that Christians sometimes make big mistakes, too. Which again, I already knew, but didn't really understand. I'd unconsiously assumed that if you were working at a church camp, you were a "good kid." You were mostly perfect and nothing dramatic had ever happened to you or your family.

After spending a week at camp I realized how grossly wrong my assumptions had been.

Now, I don't want to make it look like the people at my camp were "bad people" or anything like that. Because they weren't. All the people I met were friendly, good with the campers, and sang and danced like crazy during our Chapel period. They were all good people.
But some of them had made mistakes.

And the part I struggled with was how to deal with it. They all looked the same, but some of them had made mistakes in the past that weren't evident at first glance. That kinda freaked me out a bit, because I wanted to know. If someone had messed up in the past, I wanted to know about it.

Why?

So I could judge them. So I could evaluate the Then and Now and decide if they were A Good Christian or if they were Faking It.

And that is, of course, a completely wrong midset. In some cases, yes, it's good to know about people's pasts. But not in mine. I don't have either the need or the right to know what has happened in my fellow CIT's lives, unless they choose to tell me.

And even if they do share their past with me, it's still not my place to judge them. It's never my place to judge anyone. Ever.

Not like that.

God does the ultimate deciding. He's the only one that can see their hearts. My job is just to accept them for who they are, love them, and leave the rest up to Him.

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is

born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17

Love ... keeps no record of wrongs

1 Corinthians 13:5