I had a long talk with a member of Gravel Hill today. During our conversation she gave me her life history, or at least the main points of it, in a way that had me asking her continually, "what came next." It wasn't necessarily that her past seemed so difficult, the burdens and problems so painful, but the fact that in many ways I was astounded by what she was telling me because I had no idea her history had been so filled with trauma and disappointment. She didn't act as if she had experienced anything traumatic in her life, however one is supposed to act if he or she had. I knew that during her life she had helped others a great deal in their times of trouble, but no idea that she herself had experienced exceedingly trying times as well.
I guess my point is that when we look at someone and judge their behavior, attitude, demeanor, actions, whatever...you name it...most of us have no idea what that human being has been through in life. Most of us don't talk about such things and if we do, it is only with someone we trust very well. Nevertheless, we are quick to judge, and never knowing the sufferings or burdens of that person, we are also quick to condemn, quick to point out differences, quick to notice how someone else is or isn't like us.
It is exactly here that we are supposed to be different from the world. We are supposed to act out of a love that is forgiving and non-judgmental. We are to see, not with our eyes but with our hearts, the person we are talking to, or looking at, or judging with no basis for judgment at all. We are all extremely good at concealing the pain of our pasts, pain that often molds us in ways that only we are aware of and that is hidden from others. Almost none of us escapes this life without experiencing trauma, pain, disappointment, sorrow, depression, anxiety guilt, the list goes on and on. None of us are perfect beings because of it. Yet we learn from it.
And we must all learn from it, to treat others as we would wish to be treated; to give extra consideration for love and acceptance of all individuals, ourselves included. To consider that our pain is not somehow unique, but on some level and in some manner, experienced by everyone who lives. How would you wish to be treated? We must treat one another just like that. No new message here. Simply a reiteration of what Jesus taught us long ago. Love one another as you would have others love you.
I read an article today that should have surprised me, but didn't. I saw it at cnn.com, and its title was "Unbelieving Preachers Get Help to 'Come Out' as Open Atheists." If you're interested, you can read it here. The article talks about pastors who have become atheists, and how hard it is for them to confess their loss of faith. Many of these pastors have had careers in ministry, leading churches large and small, comforting people, worshipping and praying, yet have found, over time, that their faith has dwindled away. It is a particularly sad commentary on how faith seems to be waning in our time.
What happened that made these pastors' faith wane, especially in light of the fact that they originally felt called by God to this exacting and difficult occupation? One pastor said that he "was first confronted with his disbelief when he 'became the person who got the burden of preaching about hell,' he said. 'I really loved the people I preached to, I loved them like family. So imagine preaching that if you don’t do this, you are going to burn in hell. That wasn’t easy for me.'
This pastor then began to research other theologies about God and belief, which led to doubts about translations of the Bible, and about healing. He states, "'The next big issue was the failure of prayer,' DeWitt said. 'People are passing away, whenever we pray for them to live. People aren’t getting jobs, whenever we pray for them to have jobs. The harder we tried to alleviate suffering within our church, it seemed like the worse things got,' he said. 'It didn’t seem like prayer made any difference. It just continually crushed my heart.'"
These comments are probably thoughts we have all wrestled with. Questions about hell, the Bible, healing, and prayer. Are there answers for the questions and doubts we have about them? I'd like to think so, and I've decided to walk through some thoughts about this over the next few days. If you're interested, check back and we'll see what transpires.
It is exactly here that we are supposed to be different from the world. We are supposed to act out of a love that is forgiving and non-judgmental. We are to see, not with our eyes but with our hearts, the person we are talking to, or looking at, or judging with no basis for judgment at all. We are all extremely good at concealing the pain of our pasts, pain that often molds us in ways that only we are aware of and that is hidden from others. Almost none of us escapes this life without experiencing trauma, pain, disappointment, sorrow, depression, anxiety guilt, the list goes on and on. None of us are perfect beings because of it. Yet we learn from it.
