Christians are not Jesus

The other day I had a moment that really made me pause. I was driving some kids, and in the middle of normal teenage chatter, my son didn’t tell the truth about something small. Before I could even respond, one of the other boys looked at him and said, “I thought you were a Christian.”

That line hung in the air.

It wasn’t said with curiosity. It wasn’t asked with gentleness. It was said with judgment — the subtle but powerful kind that assumes a Christian should never make a mistake, never slip, never disappoint, never sin.

And in that moment, I realized something that’s becoming more and more common: People forget that Christians are people. We are not Jesus.

We are not perfect. We are not immune to temptation or frustration.We are not walking around on a cloud of holiness, untouched by the realities of life.

What we are is this: Broken, loved, forgiven humans walking daily with Christ, learning as we go.

That is the gospel in action — not perfection, but transformation.Not flawlessness, but surrender.

And surrender is a daily choice.

As Christians, we walk with Christ one day at a time, asking for forgiveness, asking for help, asking for strength. And when we do that consistently, the behaviors that don’t honor Him begin to fade, not because we are strong, but because He is. That growth takes time, sometimes a long time. Every believer has areas where they struggle. Paul understood this deeply when he described his own “thorn in his side” and admitted that he continually did the very thing he didn’t want to do.

So if Paul—the apostle who wrote half the New Testament—struggled, imagine the pressure we put on ourselves or others when we pretend Christians should always “get it right.”

We need grace for ourselves. We need grace for each other.And we desperately need to take people off the cross…because Jesus already died there.

The GPS, a Joke, and a Misconception

Later that week, my husband was driving a group of kids home. He asked where he needed to drop them off. They answered by blurting out the girl’s house name—“Sherrie’s house”—without giving an actual address. So my husband, trying to keep it lighthearted, said jokingly, “Okay, I’ll just put ‘Sherrie’s house’ in the GPS,” meaning of course he needed an actual location.

The girl shot back, “Aren’t you a Christian? You shouldn’t joke like that.”

And there it was again — a belief that being a Christian means you don’t joke, don’t tease, don’t express personality, don’t show humanity.

But that isn’t biblical. That isn’t realistic, and it certainly isn’t the heart of God.

The misconception is this: Being a Christian is not about behavior modification — it’s about heart transformation.

And transformation is a process, not a switch.

Christians still laugh, still slip, still say the wrong thing, still misunderstand, still have to apologize, still grow. The difference is that we are relying on Christ daily to shape us. We aren’t claiming perfection; we are claiming a Savior.

Every person has their own “bend,” their own weaknesses, their own areas where sin tries to get the upper hand. Paul wasn’t ashamed to admit that. He talked openly about wrestling internally between what he knew was right and what he ended up doing anyway.

If Paul struggled, what makes us think today’s believers won’t?

Growth in Christ is slow, steady, and sacred. And it takes humility—not performance.

When we expect Christians to be perfect, we create shame, discouragement, and distance. But when we acknowledge that Christians are people relying on the grace of God, we create space for healing, honesty, and authentic transformation.

The Grocery Store Lesson

Not long ago, I was standing at the grocery store checkout when the woman ringing up my items was unbelievably rude. Her tone was sharp, her expression cold, and her attitude abrasive. The natural instinct would be to snap back, or at least match the energy.

But God paused my heart.

The truth is, no one knows what someone else is carrying.

Maybe that cashier is dealing with:

• an eviction notice taped to her apartment door

• a boss who mistreats her daily

• a special needs child at home who requires constant care

• exhaustion from working double shifts

• a lack of support, money, hope, or rest

Does any of that excuse her behavior? No, it doesn’t. But it explains something important: people hurt. And hurting people sometimes hurt others.

Christians are not immune to frustration. Standing there at the register, I felt the sting of her attitude. I felt the irritation rising. But as believers, these are the moments where we quietly ask God to take over — not because we are holy, but because we are human.

I don’t know if that woman was a Christian or not. But here’s the bigger question: If she was, would her bad moment make her “less” of one?

No.

Christians can struggle deeply.Christians can be worn out.Christians can act out of stress instead of grace.

We are all walking through something. And God sees the full story even when we don’t.

Teenagers, Expectations, and the Weight of Judgment

My son, like many teenagers, is still learning. He is figuring out who he is, who God is, and how to walk out this faith in a world that constantly judges, tests, and challenges him.

It’s already difficult for an adult to stand apart and try to follow Christ. How much harder must it be for a teenager surrounded by peers, pressure, and the desire to fit in?

The expectation that Christians—especially young ones—should behave perfectly or they’re “not real believers” can be devastating. It can discourage a teen from wanting a relationship with God at all. If faith becomes about perfection instead of growth, who would want it?

Look at just the two stories above:In each one, a believer was held to an impossible standard. In each one, the reaction wasn’t grace—it was accusation.

And that’s what needs to change.

We can do better.We want to do better.And we will do better through daily surrender—prayer, Scripture, repentance, and seeking the Lord’s wisdom.

But we must also remember:

People grow when they feel safe, not when they feel shamed.

My prayer is that God softens hearts, opens eyes, and shifts the perspective of those watching Christians from the outside. I pray they come to understand that Christians are not perfect people—they are redeemed people.

Redeemed doesn’t mean flawless. Redeemed means forgiven. Redeemed means in process. Redeemed means loved while still growing.

And that’s the beauty of following Jesus.

We don’t become perfect overnight. We become His more and more each day.

Final Thoughts: Grace on Both Sides

Christianity was never meant to be a performance. It was meant to be a relationship — messy, beautiful, challenging, and life-changing.

People will misunderstand Christians. Christians will misunderstand people, and both sides need grace.

At the end of the day, we aren’t called to impress the world. We are called to love God, love others, and keep walking forward — imperfectly, humbly, and faithfully.

And when we fall? Jesus already paid the price. The cross is occupied by no one but Him.

We are simply people learning to walk in His footsteps, one day at a time.