Hi, this is Monique Rhodes. Welcome to the In Your Right Mind Podcast, where we're learning how to be happier by working with our minds.
If you’d like to know more about what I teach, come to iintendtobehappy.com and let’s get you started on your path to being happier.
A Sensitive Topic
I want to talk about something we’re often told not to: religion.
More specifically, what I’m seeing in modern-day Christianity.
I was raised Catholic—deeply immersed in the teachings of Jesus Christ.
And while I’ve seen extraordinary kindness and love in Christian communities,
I’ve also seen something else—judgment, exclusion, power, and division.
The Heart of the Message
When I think about Jesus—not the institution, not the politics, but the man—
I see a teacher, a healer, a storyteller, a disrupter.
He lived among the poor and the marginalized.
He loved people that society called “unlovable.”
He overturned tables not to create chaos, but to call for justice.
His message was simple and radical:
Love refuses to limit itself.
Love your enemies. Forgive boldly.
Serve with humility.
Hold power gently.
A Call to Remember
If you claim to follow Jesus, then follow how he lived.
Walk toward suffering, not away from it.
Welcome the outsider.
Be kind before being right.
Forgive when it costs you.
Because faith isn’t about rules—it’s about transformation.
A Faith That Forms Us
Real Christianity isn’t about having it all figured out.
It’s about being formed—into love, humility, and compassion.
And maybe, if more of us lived like Jesus,
the world would see Christianity not as harsh or exclusive,
but as healing and inclusive—just as he intended.
So whether you’re Christian or not,
let’s remember the essence of his teaching:
to live love, not just speak of it.
I hope this has been helpful.
As always, be kind, take care, and go gently in the world.
