Even if you eat out on Sunday

I love my religion.  Have I ever told you that?  Cuz I do.  It is a religion that teaches perfection but does not expect it right now.  It is a religion that encourages love and understanding and forgiveness.  It is a religion that teaches of a God and His Son and a gift of a Spirit to whisper peace to your aching soul.  It is a religion that teaches people not to judge, but rather to reach out and help one another.  It is a religion that urges us to love ourselves, but more importantly to love our neighbors, and to even love our enemies.  It is a religion that teaches us to share all we have, even our time, talents, and yes, even our money.  It is a religion that teaches that we can all be saved according to our choices (not someone else's) and because of the great Atonement.  It is a religion that encourages people to obey and honor the laws of this amazing country.  It is a religion where God speaks to us through Prophets, where He has not forgotten us, and where His greatest desire is to have us back.  It is a religion of pride and yet great humility.  It is a religion who accepts everyone...even me.

And yet, within this great religion, I know no one, nope...not one person, who is ALL of these things.  I know of people who go to church every Sunday and then go out to eat at their favorite local restaurant.  And I have seen these same people walk over to their neighbors house and pick up three or four extra kids and take them for the day because they knew that neighbor needed a break.  I know of people who send their kids to church every week and yet rarely set foot inside a church themselves.  I know of people who put on a suit and tie and look good on Sunday and then act completely different every other day.  I also know of people who try.  People who go to church as much as they can, and sometimes even when they really don't want to.  I know of people who reach out and help everyone all the time and others who do little for anyone.  I know of people who make sacrifices.  I know of people who have a testimony, a strong testimony, but for some reason choose not to live this religion that I so love.  I know of people who hate each other and can't even look at each other and yet they go to the same church.  I know a lot of people...and I could tell you a lot of things that they are doing wrong... within my religion.  But guess what?  I still love it.

I love it because we all can be part of it.  All of us.  The tattooed guy down the street, the Sunday diners, the screamer back across the way, even the crazy horticulturalist that doesn't like you messing with the river...even me.  Cuz here's the thing...Although this religion teaches perfection it doesn't demand it right now.  And just because crazy scream-at-her-kids-all-the-time lady hasn't figured out how to find peace and love and do away with all that anger--she is still welcome to come, to partake, to start over if she wants.  And if she doesn't want to try right now, if she thinks that just coming to church is enough right now,  and if she doesn't think the same things that I do right now...that's okay.  She is still welcome.  And so am I.

And even though crazy lady has her sins, and someone else just might be judging crazy lady and so they have their sins and even someone else maybe tried to help crazy lady and something crazy came from it and now they hate each other...they are all welcome.  All of us, crazy-judging-never-go-to-church-Sunday-dining-screamers are all welcome.  You can come if you hate the world.  You can come if you love everyone.  You can come if you have something to offer.  You can come if you have nothing left to give.  Heck, you can even come if you only have one kid and claim to not want anymore.  Why?  Cuz no matter how much I judge you or how much anyone else gives you the evil eye, or how much you are called a hypocrite--it matters not.  Because all of us crazy-shop-on-Sunday-beer-batter-chicken-dinner-eaters don't call the shots.  God does.  It's His religion.  And even though I call it my religion, it's really His.  And no matter what I do, or what you do, it matters not as long as you're square with God.

So judge me all you want.  Make me mad.  Hate me.  Call me a hypocrite.  It matters not because I love this religion and I will stand by it with or without you...but you are always welcome.