There is no such thing as a "perfect Christian." There is only a perfect God.

Growing up, I always went to church with my family and said my prayers like I was supposed to, but I never really knew what a Christian was until I got to college. In college, I started attending my first small group bible study, and it was there that I learned about Jesus, specifically, how much He loves us for who we are, not necessarily who (we think) He wants us to be.

When I first went to bible study, I looked around at the other girls and at my leader and thought about how they were so much better than I was. They pray every night, go to church every week without interruption, never drink or cuss, and are just better people than I am. They all knew the Lord and loved Him and were confident in their beliefs, while I was still struggling to fully understand who the Lord was and what He meant to me.

However, I have learned that those whom we see and assume are perfect Christians, such as our religious friends, and even our priests and the pope, would never even think to consider themselves to be perfect. My friends at bible study who I look to in admiration would never think to claim that they are perfect Christians. They know that they have their imperfections, but that that is okay.

Being a Christian is not synonymous with being perfect. In fact, being a Christian means realizing that you are not perfect and knowing that God loves you despite not being perfect. Likewise, God would never want us to look at others and compare ourselves to them. He loves us for who we are despite our imperfections.

Being a Christian is not exclusive. You do not have to be sober, or a virgin, or faultless to call yourself a Christian. If you love God and you want to call yourself a Christian, then I have to believe that He loves you and would be proud to have you representing His name. Christianity is about having a relationship with God, not about rules and regulations.

The only "perfect Christian" in our history is Jesus Christ. He loved unconditionally, He healed the sick and wounded, and He died for our sins so that we could live. We, as His followers, could never even begin to be as good as He is. However, it is our job, as Christians, to strive to be good people and love God and spread His word to the fullest of our abilities.

Therefore, I beg you to not be discouraged when you see others who are "better" than you are. Do not compare yourself to others. Trust me, from personal experience, I know that no good comes from comparing yourself to others. Know that it has little to do with us and everything to do with the Lord and His glory. Know that no one is better than anyone else in the Lord's eyes. He knows that we are all individuals and different and He would never think to compare us to one another and He loves us because He created us in his name. He made each and every one of us and He loves us for who we are, not who we believe we should be. We must know that we are not perfect, but that He is perfect for us.

"I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me." - Proverbs 8:17.