Do You Feel Welcomed?

     I feel sometimes that a church can be overly judgmental of it's members, making you feel like that you are not really welcomed. I want to feel comfortable in a church where I worship and not feel like an outsider. I do not like being judged, by what I wear, how long my hair is or my status in society. I want to be in a church where they embrace you and not judge you.
     What is the reason that I go to a church? To worship God and to be around like minded individuals. When we submit ourselves to God and live by his word, we find ourselves more alone in our new view of the world. Others around you seem to not understand the way you feel. We want and need to find a place of worship for support and to make us feel that we are not alone in our love for Jesus Christ.
     Maybe when you found Jesus Christ it was the first time you felt someone to love you as you are, and you did not have to earn it. When I said, not have to earn it, I mean to receive love without conditions. This is what drew us to Jesus Christ in the first place his unconditional love for us. Now we want to find and to worship in a place that has that kind of love for us. We do not want to be over burden with many conditions in order to be accepted. If a church could show unconditional love to its members, how happy that church would be.
     Maybe I am naive, but I think a church should be more than a place we go, to be preached at. I think we should feel at home, a place where we feel we are around friends instead of strangers. After all, does not the congregation represent the body of Christ. We being the body of Christ should feel close to each other. They being your brothers and sisters in Christ, we should feel free to be ourselves around each other rather than pretending to be somebody that we are not, just to fit in.
     Jesus said to us in Matthew 11:28-30, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." What a beautiful welcome that is, now we just need to find a place where we feel like, we are welcomed.