A week of spiritual expressions: This is the third in a series of columns on various belief systems for the week. For  Technician ‘s introduction to the series, visit ” Introducing a week of spiritual beliefs .“

This is a column about Christianity. Now, before you start running in the opposite direction, thinking I am anything like the crazy “Brickyard Preacher,” Brother Ross, I must inform you that he is an outlier among Christians. Most of the time, Christians are not going to shove their faith down your throat with such anger and judgment.

In fact, it’s the opposite. Christians strive to welcome all people with the same kindness and love Christ showed us. We want to express to them the same unfailing forgiveness Christ offers us. We do this because Jesus is the example of what we should strive to be. But, to really understand this, you’ll need a quick lesson on the Christian faith.

The core of Christianity is the Gospel, or the story of the relationship between God and man. The story is revealed in countless places in the Bible. There are four parts to the Gospel. First, God created man, but because of original sin, we are all born sinners. Second, the punishment for sin is death, but we can receive the gift of eternal life through Christ. Third, this is possible because Christ came to earth as a man and bore our punishment by dying on a cross. Finally, if we believe in this, then we can receive God’s gift of eternal life in heaven.

However, what gets me most excited about Christianity is not discussing doctrine, it’s knowing that my life does not end on this earth. When I have a bad day, I do not fret. I am not worried because I know one 90-year life on this earth is absolutely nothing compared to an eternity of pure and perfect joy in heaven. It’s electrifying to know God will be with me forever.

I wasn’t always like this though. Even though my parents raised me as a Christian, I didn’t really get what was so exciting about Christianity. Then I went to a non-denominational Christian camp called Camp Oak Hill. At first, the kayaks and catchy songs were the things that kept me coming back. But as I aged, something else made me want to come back summer after summer: an overwhelming joy only found in a place completely absorbed in Christ.

Before I gave my life to Christ, I did not understand why the people who ran Camp Oak Hill had such insurmountable joy. One summer, when I was in the leadership program at Camp Oak Hill, I was intent on discovering the reason why the counselors were so happy. Through conversations with older women-counselors who changed my life-I realized I was putting other things before God because I thought they would make me happy. But God could give me more. He could give me the joy, love and security I was searching for. The reason I gave my life to Christ was because I saw something in the counselors that brought me into his arms. It was their unshakable joy in their Savior.

What I have found out is that once you realize the love that God can offer, Christ’s joy becomes contagious and cannot be contained. I suppose many people would not understand why I cannot help but throw my hands up when I sing worship songs, or think it’s silly that I enjoy listening to a preacher talk for hours. But I think it has to do with the fact that for me, Christianity is not just a religion or a set of beliefs, it’s my life.