Another case for christ

Through the Eyes of a Radical Womanist (The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus - Lee Strobel 1998)

Allow me to paint a scene for you. I was driving down La Brea Blvd in the always sunny Los Angeles, listening to Big Sean while enjoying a delectable adult lunchable. You know the ones I’m talking about, with the fancy salami and sliced Gouda paired with the perfectly baked and seasoned crackers... really just a glorified lunchable. ANYWAY, as I’m eating, God gave me a word, a message, that I wish to share with whomever may be reading.

I think we’re all in agreement that the past year has been transformative. We’re living through a pandemic, an economic collapse and have quite literally had our lives flipped upside down. With that being said, it has also provided some of us a collective opportunity to question the lives we’re living. Given the average American lifestyle, it can be difficult to introspectively take a look at one's life. If you’re a student, a professional, or hustling to make ends meet, your mind and body are constantly preoccupied. But if I’m able to take away the positives of 2020 it’ll be the disruption to capitalism and it’s systems that we’ve all become accustomed to.

In the pursuit of healing and growth, I’ve always found myself questioning the societal and cultural norms that are impressed upon us from the moment we’re born. Never being able to uphold the version of success that my family or people around me wanted myself to conform to, left me with trauma I had to heal from. I was told that the only way to amount to success is to put myself in debt, go to college, and get a degree. I can’t blame the mindset of my first generation Mexican-American parent, as I’ve come to learn that this projection of capitalist rhetoric disguised as care is a story many people know oh too well. But through that healing process I've been equipped with the skills necessary to seek the truth in its purest form. Slowly but surely I’ve realized that as generations have passed, this country has successfully added layers upon layers to a facade, slowly misleading people and disguising the truth. And before you know it, we’ve been left with a distorted version of reality. Now, you may be asking, well what is the truth? Or if you’re philosophical you might say everyone’s version of the truth is relative. Regardless of relativity and different perspectives I believe in the fundamental truth and patterns of our creator in Heaven.

There is no better opportunity than now to break out of our comfort zone and start metaphorically digging with everything we do and believe. We have to start seeking the truth, because if we don’t grab our reality by the root I'm afraid it could be lost. Western culture is seductive, it gives us distractions and incentives, a lifestyle that overindulges our senses just enough to keep us going and to prolong the inevitable existential crisis. It is time to lift the comfortable, silky veil that we’ve all become so acclimated to. The question at hand now is how do we take off a pair of glasses we didn't know we were wearing? Especially if we've been told our entire lives that the glasses are a part of our body? I'm glad you asked. *cue the angels descending from heaven gently lifting the glasses off your face.*

I'm talking about true RELATIONSHIP with Jesus Christ, not religion or religious practices but aligning your heart with our creator through our savior Jesus. I was an atheist until the age of 22 (I am 25 currently), so I have this internal dichotomy of coexisting perspectives surrounding religion. I didn’t understand how people could believe in a religion that has caused so much death and was a fundamental weapon in the colonization of Native and African communities. I’ve also been (and still am) an ally to the LGBTQ community, to sex workers, and the intersectionalities of marginalized communities, and thought that spiritual beliefs and political beliefs were mutually exclusive. Which is why I want to take a moment to sincerely apologize to people who have been traumatized by the church in the name of Jesus. To anyone who feels like they never belonged, that they were never accepted or loved the way they deserved I am truly sorry. Manipulation and guilt are brought on by people, NOT our Father in Heaven. But in learning the ways of God comes learning the ways of the Adversary. The Devil isn’t doing its job unless it is twisting and weaving lies within the truth. Causing confusion and rebellion, creating a fog of trauma and mistruths in the hearts of people. Take a look at an apple for example. If you hear about the health benefits of an apple, but the only version of apples you see are processed into pies and artificial flavoring covered in plastic packaging, and those things cause you to feel sick, cause cancer, you’re going to believe apples are unhealthy and not for you. When in reality, the apple in its original form is good and is all you needed, but it’s image was corrupted by people. Peel off the layers and seek the apple in its truest form. Don’t eat the apple pie that other people made and expect to know the nutrients of the apple.

I am far from perfect, but I can say with full confidence that I am a work in progress and I see myself learning and evolving everyday all glory to God. At the end of the day life is about making choices, you have a choice to either seek fulfillment from other people and the pleasures of the world or to seek true satisfaction from within. I never knew true freedom until I started pursuing a relationship with God. My awakening and spiritual journey has been one hell of a ride, but the reward is worth it. With anything in life, the key is consistency. Start praying, pick up a Bible, watch online sermons, whatever you need to do to open the door. And even if you’re still wary about Christianity and starting your personal journey with Jesus, the best advice I could give you is to seek the root of everything you do, and everything you think and believe to be true.

Jessica is a follower of Christ and a multifaceted creative that uses her passion for writing to communicate her unique world view. Although she is currently a barista and server by trade, she hopes to one day publish a book and work in the music industry as a song writer.