Perfect in His Eyes
I have said before that religion today is not something I believe Jesus would approve of; in fact, I think it is very similar to the Pharisees who persecuted Him. I say this because, in the book of Colossians, Paul writes: “You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it” (Colossians 1:21-23). The simple truth is that we don’t have to do anything. You don’t have to show up to church in fancy clothes, tithe 10% of your paycheck, or celebrate specific holidays to be accepted. Jesus explained that the most important commandment is love: to love others as you love yourself and to love God.
Jesus emphasized the "heart" over the "rule," teaching that true faith is found in internal transformation, humble service, and sincere generosity rather than public performance. While many today view "church" as a weekly event or a physical location, Jesus modeled it as a community of people living out love and mercy in everyday spaces. Ultimately, while modern traditions can provide helpful structure, they often risk becoming "heavy" ladders of performance, whereas Jesus’ original message was a simpler call to love God and neighbors—replacing the pressure of "doing enough" with the freedom of a secure relationship.
Faith, by the biblical definition, is a convinced, undeniable belief in God. Because we simply believe, we are made perfect in God’s eyes. I think this relates to the "mustard seed" faith. When we are 100% persuaded of God’s love, it spreads into our lives where we are happy to love others. This is similar to a mustard seed in the fact that it may start small—this little act of persuasion—but it evolves into something so widespread that it changes the very core of who we are. Jesus never taught anything but to be our true selves and come before our Father—a Father who just wants to hold us in His arms because we are completely perfect in His eyes because of Jesus. In the book of Colossians, Paul wrote, “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.” It takes my breath away knowing that this big, mighty God was actually human like you and me. However I see myself, God sees me perfectly all because I love Him and am fully persuaded in Him. I hope to write in such a way that shows that, whoever you are, God loves you. I genuinely pray that we all see this.