I am not a clinical Psychologist and hold no degrees in human behavior. All I have is fifty-two years of life experience. That said, people, including Christians, do things that I will never understand.

They say things, share things, post things, and make comments both online and in person that baffle me. They act in ways contrary to the way of Jesus. They struggle with addictions that range from food to gossip to alcohol. People are unpredictable, mean, kind, compassionate, and unique, often during a twenty-four-hour period.

Frequently, I find myself guessing about their backstory and what their upbringing must have been like. I try to draw conclusions about their home life and how they relate to their spouse and kids. I tend to question their motives and what lies behind their actions.

The complicated truth is that, in most cases, we will never know. We will never understand why people behave the way they do.

I firmly believe that one reason God wants us to travel on our journey of faith with others in a Church is that it pushes us to grow. Other people drive us to grace and forgiveness. Sometimes, that means offering it to others and other times, pleading for it ourselves.

There is no simple book that I can hand out that says, “Here is what you are going to experience in Church and how to handle it.” People will always leave you guessing. All I can promise newcomers is that you will not understand the behavior of others, but know that God will use those people to make you more like Jesus.