I was eating lunch with a girlfriend yesterday, and we were having a conversation about how quickly kids grow up, and how they are 'mini' adults. Her daughter is 4 years old, and already is concerned about what she should wear to school to impress her friends. My 3.5 year old is showing the same behavior.
How, and why, do we become so obsessed with what others think of us? It seems to be ingrained from birth. I started thinking about the most harmless thing I could...Thomas the Train. It was Ethan's favorite show for a number of years. Even in these seemingly harmless DVDs there is emphasis on how we should be seen by others. Several times Thomas wants everyone to think that he is the best, and he even dismisses others to get what he wants.
The same is true of religion. In American society church has become the "I" place. It is all about me, and what I want, and what I need...who cares about the person next to me? Unfortunately, there are churches out there that preach this under the veil of love. If you help others, and love everyone, you will get what you want. No mention of God or Christ. Why would they mention them? God is trying to get you to do what He wants.
The craziest thing about God though, is that, if you do what He asks, you DO get the things you want. Truth be known, what He is asking for is your commitment to him, through Christ, as well as the motivation to speak to others about Him.
That brings me to my next point: Why are we afraid to talk about God, and religion in general, to others? Who told us as children that you should never talk about religion? I honestly can't tell you who told me. I think the first time I remember anyone saying that was when I was in college, but it has always been an unspoken rule.
Like so many other things that make us self-conscious, there is someone behind it, or some thing. Our tendency as humans is to get what we want, when we want, and no one is going to tell us different. Even being a Christian can be difficult at times. I search for answers and have questions about why we are the way we are. Seeing others around me being so standoffish as to not even want to hear me out makes me deeply sad. It is God's will that no one should perish. Why did it take me so long to see that all I had to do was open my heart to Him?
Everyone will live forever. You may die in a car accident tomorrow, but your soul will live on, forever, in Heaven or in Hell. Can you comprehend that? FOREVER. Try, for example, to think of the Universe. We cannot see the end. Does it go on forever? How can we be sure? We can't...science tells us that it does, and we believe them. Is it so hard to believe that if you cast God out of your life you will go to Hell forever and ever?
Sometimes I sit and ponder Heaven..and how I will be there FOREVER. It is kinda scary, I must admit, because my brain cannot fathom that amount of time. Being with God does not scare me, however, that is what eases my mind when I try to think about things larger than myself. I know that God will take care of me, and all of my questions will be answered when the time is right.
My prayer for America is this:
Open your mind to the possibility that God exists. Open your heart to Jesus. Make the word LOVE mean something more than the next pair of shoes you want to purchase. Open your eyes to God's Word, and see the possibilities of this world in a new way, without opinion, and without the "I".
I know you will find something more inside, and you will truly come to know who you are.
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