Sometimes when we look at the things that we have done wrong, it is hard to see if we have ever gotten it right. But I know that we all have. I know that at times I have been the best mom, friend and wife ever. I know that at times I have built people up and set them on the right path. I know that even in an unhappy marriage, I was loyal for 10+ years. I know that I care when I mess up, even if it takes me awhile.
I know that lately I have been doing the self-finding that people speak of doing when you are in your early twenties...but I was married then, working and in college. Now, I am beginning to wonder about things. I personally, know without a doubt that there is a God. He was there when my son was born and shouldn't have been. He was there when I laid on the bathroom floor sobbing when my marriage failed. And He is there everyday when I thank Him for the husband and family I have. But I am going to lay myself perfectly, embarrassingly open to you, my readers. I am opening up to tell you that I truly welcome your guidance and advice, but that I also blog because I find it to be cleansing. I do not seek to offend you or mock in any way the beliefs that you have come to have.One thing I have trouble with is the entire concept of God. I guess I tend to think more in like a spiritual sense...it's hard to put it into words. I think God is everywhere, in everyone. I have trouble understanding why this supreme being needs us to worship him...because why would He need us? Why are we supposed to be guilty when we spend a Sunday hiking with our kids instead of sitting in a church? What if on the hike we gave thanks to God? Does it matter where we were?
I have trouble thinking that one (or a small handful) of religious groups have it "right" and that everyone else will be barred from Heaven. I don't understand. At all. Some of the best people I have ever known have been Mormon, Buddhist and Catholic. Do they all have it inherently wrong?
I once listened to a sermon about animals and how the speaker said they have no souls, only humans do...so only humans can go to Heaven...and I was dismayed and confused. Had he never known a dog? Had a friendship with an animal? Known the close bond? And I wondered, why would our Creator go to the trouble to make these wonderful creatures if they were without souls?
Do you have questions too? Or do you have answers? I'd love to discuss. I know that I need God. I know that I am a far better person when I am seeking what is right. I know that I believe, but I also know that my faith is more childlike in the fact that I have all these wonderments and no real answers...
To be Continued.....
We all make mistakes. We all lose our way. The key is to not give up on ourselves or those we love, and to keep trying our damnedest to do the right thing.
ReplyDeleteI don't think of God as an Old Testament, fire and damnation, sacrificial God. I think of him as a powerful being, watching from the sidelines, making small miracles happen, shaking his head in sadness when we get it wrong and cheering us on when we get it right.
I certainly don't think that any one group of people has it 'right' and the rest of us are sentenced to hell for being 'wrong'. I don't think that any 'sin' could cause God to cast us out. I don't think we need to be in a certain place at a certain time to praise, talk to, or thank him. I think that he has enough forgiveness for everyone who has ever done anything wrong or made a mistake in life.
And if I'm wrong, and he was truly as unforgiving and close-minded as some would have us believe in the name of their religion, then I would not ever praise or follow such a horrible creature. But I don't think that's who he is.
I love you very much, Sarah. :) Thank you for everything that you do and who you are.
Hi Sarah. I want you to know, before I respond to this blog post, where I am coming from. This is what I have been learning during the last year in school, and a big part of who I am. I am not being critical of you, because I love you, but I am critical of the theology you are representing in this post.
ReplyDeleteWhat you are saying is that God is relative, God can be anything I want Him to be, and I can find Him anywhere at any time. Am I correct?
These are the statements I will make regarding this kind of theology, and I am not asking you to agree with me on them, but to just hear me out. First is, God cannot be what He has never been. God has never been relative and cannot be whoever I want Him to be. God has given us a book to understand His redemptive plan and reason for humanity and that is the Bible. I believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God and that the totality of truth comes from the study of that Word. The Buddhist’s do not believe in the same God I believe in. Neither do the Mormans, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Hindu’s, Muslims, or any other religion beside the Jews.
Second is, would you trust me to do a heart transplant on you? No? Why not? And yet people think they can translate God’s word without education, they can know who God is without help, and they can make God what they want Him to be. This idea is just as ridiculous as me thinking I can do open heart surgery without a medical degree. The Bible is a complex book of different styles of writing, cultures, and authors, and it takes time and study to understand it. At some point, we have to trust someone to steer us in the right direction.
And if I truly believe that God is what I, personally, want Him to be, and everyone has the right to make their own personal god’s, then I am not really worshipping God. I am worshipping myself. I am worshipping my own ability to put God into a box and make Him my own. And that is not the God of the Bible.
As to why God “needs” us for worship, there is one answer. He does not “need” us to worship Him. He is not on an egotistical power trip where He needs people to want Him and worship Him. Instead, God created us out of love for humanity and the world. We are a creation of great value and worth to God, and through creating us, He created us to be in relationship with Him. Worship is not just a one sided thing from us toward Him. Worship is living in constant communion with the Lord, because that is who we are created to be. We cannot be fully human without having a relationship with God.
Which brings in the need for the Church. I believe that we cannot be fully human without being in relationship with God and with the community of believers. God created the Church because He knows what it means for us to be fully human, because God created us. God created us to be in relationship with Him and with others, and if we are neglecting a part of either side, we are not fully human, which affects each and every part of our lives.
This comes to another question that you posed about there being multiple ways to the same God. Again, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Jesus is not the same God that other religions worship. I believe in prevenient grace, which is the idea that the Holy Spirit goes before all people and works in their hearts long before they may hear the Gospel message. I think people feel the stirrings of the Holy Spirit long before they come to know Christ. I believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, through His Father who sent Him and the work of the Holy Spirit in and among humanity.
ReplyDeleteThe Apostle’s Creed states all of this much more clearly than I am stating it, I am sure. The Apostle’s Creed is the basis of belief for all Christians in the world, and if any person calls themselves Christian, this is what they all agree on. This is the foundation of Christianity, and one cannot conceivably call themselves Christian without believing the following:
I believe in God the Father, Almighty make of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary.
Suffered under Pontius Pilot, Was crucified, dead, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
And sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; (Not the denomination, but the church worldwide)
The communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins;
The resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.
Amen.
If you are interested, there are a few books I have read during the last year that could really clarify much of what I am saying. The Story of God by Michael Lodahl is one of them. Also, read the Bible. All of this is in there. =)
Val- I am always interested in what you have to say, and you have a gift for explaining theology that I wish many other pastors had. I understand why my questions indeed garner some criticism, which is why I am being honest about searching for answers. Not only would I be willing to (and like) to read a few of your recommendations, but I'd be open to talking with you as well. I have always respected and loved you and Kyle, and quite honestly wish you two were in charge of your own church:).
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