Religion.

I'll never forget the day I overheard a co-worker say "I just HATE religion!" I happened to be walking by him at the exact time he expressed this feeling. I didn't hear the context of the comment, but nonetheless I responded with an emphatic "me too!"

To say the least, I caught him off guard. I explained that I saw religion as an organized system of earning favor in God's eyes by doing good things. But my faith in Jesus was not this system at all; it was based on living a life that pleases Him because I'm already accepted and loved in His eyes.

Reminds me of Philippians 3: I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God's law, but I trust Christ to save me. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith (verse 9, nlt).

I don't have to worry about whether or not I'm living a life that is 'good enough' for God. I know that He accepts me, the good and bad. I can't earn right-ness with God.