Lessons through Hardship

Religion brings pain

It's interesting what God will show a person in the midst of a difficult situtation. We had the viewing session for my brother last night and though it was an unsettling feeling for me as I made the drive to the funeral home, when it was all said and done, I am happy that I went. It really aided in the grieving process -- if one can really call it a process. But that's another story for another time. What I did want to write about happened the family and I were leaving. My other brother and I were having a deep discussion about faith. It started because when the viewing was taking place, my grandfather kept asking if the both of us were praying. He then proceeded to quote a scripture that says, "pray without ceasing." My brother, though he wanted could not convey what was really in his heart; that he was too pissed off to pray. Basically, he prayed for three years that Ryan would get well and now he has the sense as if God let him down; his faith as he says has been "shaken."

--Before I continue, I have to interject. This is one of the fundamental problems that I have with religion. The obligation of "doing." What I mean by that is religion teaches you to do all the right stuff (i.e., read the bible, pray, do what the bible says) and God will have favor on you. In other words play the part of a Christian and God will play the part of someone who is there for you always. That's pretty sick and twisted if you ask me. Not that I believe God is like that in any form or fashion, but to teach that to people who want to live a good life and are afraid of the fires of hell, that's wrong. The worse part about that is that when things don't work out the way they desire, now they're faced with more difficult questions such as "what didn't I or did I do to make God not answer my prayers and is God truly the God I have heard about or is He a liar? Is there even a God?" Such is the result of religion and the quandary my brother finds himself in.

Prayer=religion?

So now the question that most would be asking me about this time is, "do you believe prayers are religious? Do you pray? And what is prayer to you?" I believe prayer can be religious and believe it or not, I believe religious prayer can actually take away fellowship with the Spirit. Before I get labeled with the "heretic" sticker, let me explain. I believe that God can use what we have perceived for many years to be prayer as training for life with Him (so in no way am I condemning my grandfather or anyone for that matter), but Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the day. Scripture doesn't speak of being on their knees and closing their eyes or starting with "Dear Father," they were walking with God. I believe that God has been wanting to restore that level of fellowship with His children but religion muddies it with "right and wrong." When Eve was tempted, did not the tempter start with, "Did God really say...?" In other words, are you right about what you heard. Maybe you're wrong. Walking with God was never supposed to be about right or wrong. Sin brought that into the world. After our descendants ate from the fruit we sure did become like God knowing right from wrong. The problem is, we all learned our own definitions of what we believe are right and wrong. God made us in His image. We were given the power to create. And create we have. We create what we should do, what we need to do and many times, we project that onto others. Even the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. They wanted to learn to pray correctly. Jesus gave them a great blueprint on how to communicate with the Father that still is a part of some churches' weekly ritual. So was that good? In that day and age, yes, because Jesus was right in front of them. He had not yet died on the cross and rose, therefore that broken fellowship was still there between God and man. It was great of the Son to teach His followers how to talk with His Dad. But now the Son has made it possible that what Adam and Eve experienced we now can have access to once more.

Jesus was pissed

As we got to talking my brother told me he still wants to pursue God --his words --but he is so mad that he doesn't want to talk to God. I told him, be angry. Anger is not a sin. I reminded him about Jesus being angry which I know I still don't get and I am pretty sure I can say the same about the people who profess faith in God.

There seems to be a huge disconnect when it's spoken in scripture that Jesus made a whip out of cords. Jesus the Savior of the world, premeditated an attack on the money changers and the people in the temple. He then proceeded to beat the living crap out of them and overthrew their tables. And I highly doubt he did that with a smile. He was pissed off!!! Yet now we have that scripture, "In your anger, do not sin." We would call the attack on the money changers sin, yet Jesus did not sin. Bottom line, we have no idea what sin is. And instead of trying to come up with our own definitions, why don't we just be real with ourselves and let God sort out the junk?

Faith cannot be shaken

It's impossible for my faith to be shaken. Why? Because I don't believe faith is a what, rather it's a who. Hebrews 11 says, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, uncertain for what we do not see." My hope is Christ. He is not a what. He is who. He is my hope of glory. And though I cannot see Him, I am sure that He lives. Jesus said while on the earth that He and the Father are one. God cannot be shaken. As a matter of fact, I think a song by Chris Tomlin called, "Indescribable" used "unshakeable" as a description of God. So it's established that neither Jesus or the Father are unshakeable; where's the correalation you may ask? Here it is: "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come." If we are in Him, if He is our faith, we will never lose it. The only way we could ever lose Jesus would be if he gave up on us. But then the scriptures would be lying, because God promised that He would "never leave us or forsake us."

Unbroken fellowship

I think however it is quite possible for me to get rattled, because I am human. And though God looks at me through the lenses of His Son -- who is perfect --I myself, am not, which is great news knowing that I don't have to work at being perfect. I don't have to perform to maintain the perspective that God has had about me before the day I was born. I but need to live the life that He has called me to live and together with Him leading, the issues that He wants to address will be, but in His time, not mine. And that is the fellowship that Jesus has restored to us once again. The freedom of just being able to live in His love and walk with Him all the days of our lives, not worrying about whether we are pleasing Him enough or doing the right things. But knowing that He will always be there. He does not abandon, He does not give up on us. He is always right there.