I just read an article that was blasting a certain celebrity for inventing her own science about whether vaccines are safe for children. Apparently there was a long discredited UK study that she was citing, as well as citing "her own intuition". Many TV programs gave her airtime, and many Mom's listened to her made up science. Unfortunately, we are now dealing with the largest outbreak of Measles in decades. The invention of her own science is more than just wrong, it is damaging to others.
Also recently I was discussing a diet plan with someone. This person had all of the facts at their disposal, but had chosen to tweak the plan here and there based on personal preferences. Rather than listening to the experts, the person was tailoring the expert knowledge with his own less-than-expert knowledge. The invention of his own diet proved unsuccessful.
We see this same scenario with Christians, so much that the term "Cafeteria Christian" was coined. These folks pick and choose their own pieces of Christianity to, in essence, develop their own religion altogether. This applies not just to Christians, but also to spiritualists of all shapes and sizes. If they don't believe in Christ, they may pick and choose parts of nature, parts of worldviews, or parts of other religions. Some folks choose to believe in parts of this and parts of that. Ultimately, all of these folks are simply inventing their own religions.
As humans, we tend to suffer from a "not invented here" syndrome. Almost universally, we humans find it hard to simply believe or have faith in something that we did not create or something that we cannot fully explain. As we try to understand and accept the person we are designed to become, it is important to grasp this reality about today's humans. We will be tempted to only accept the pieces of Christianity that we can rationalize or comprehend. We will be tempted to accept only the pieces of Christianity that are acceptable by our friends. We will be tempted to accept only the pieces of Christianity that will not make waves in society.
Accepting a false, manufactured, human-invented view of the person we are designed to become is not only wrong, it is dangerous. Unlike the vaccine story above, it will not just result in an illness, it will result in a worldly life of frustration and a lack of eternal life in Heaven. We are told clearly in the Bible about the person that we are designed to become. Striving for some half-baked version of this is insulting to the Creator himself.
Ultimately, there is a design to it all. Just like putting together a toy with many pieces, if we leave out parts then things will not work properly. If you find yourself tempted to stitch together your own religion, don't do it. It may feel like Christianity and sound like Christianity, but it will likely not be Christianity at all. As you strive to accept the person you are designed to become, follow the design of the Creator by establishing a strong human to God relationship.
There is a God and God wants a relationship with you. He has designed a path and life that is focused on this relationship. Jobs, skills, sports, and achievements are all less important. Nothing we can invent or contrive will change the fact that there is a God and he has a design. Worldly temptation pulls us away from the design. Be strong and leverage your relationship with God to stay focused on the complete design that we find in the Bible.