WHAT MANY DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT.

I HAVE SOME MAJOR ISSUES WITH THE BIBLE. (I SAY THAT TONGUE IN CHEEK.) I MEAN, I READ TO DYLAN SO MUCH, YET THERE ARE PARTS OF THE BIBLE I WON’T READ TO HIM YET-HE’S ONLY JUST TURNED THREE. I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT ALL THESE THINGS SO MUCH MORE LATELY, BECAUSE I’VE BEEN DEALING WITH THIS GRIEF. I AM NOT THE TYPE OF PERSON WHO CAN JUST IGNORE THE THINGS THAT I DON’T UNDERSTAND. LIKE I SAID, MANY THINGS IN OUR LIVES WILL NOT BE ANSWERED UNTIL THE END. STILL, I’M SO WEARY OF HEARING (MYSELF AT TIMES) AND OTHERS GLOSS OVER PARTS OF THE BIBLE THAT THEY DON’T LIKE. WE MUST COME FACE TO FACE WITH THESE THINGS. IF YOU’RE LIKE ME, I GET SO TIRED OF PROSPERITY PREACHING. NO, IT’S NOT JUST ONE DENOMINATION THAT PREACHES THIS-YOU CAN FIND IT EVERYWHERE. “GOD WILL BLESS YOU WITH MONEY IF YOU…(FILL IN THE BLANK)…GOD WILL GIVE YOU MANY CHILDREN IF YOU…(FILL IN THE BLANK)…GOD WILL MAKE BRING YOU SO MUCH HAPPINESS IF YOU…(FILL IN THE BLANK).” HERE’S MY QUESTIONS TO THOSE THINGS…YOU WANT MONEY?...YOU FOLLOW JESUS, A HOMELESS MAN WHO DID NOT HAVE A LOT OF RICHES. CHILDREN ARE A WONDERFUL BLESSING…BUT I GET SO WEARY OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE A LOT OF CHILDREN THINKING THEY’VE BEEN GIVEN THEM BECAUSE THEY’RE BLESSED, AND THOSE WHO DON’T HAVE ANY ARE CURSED. JESUS DIDN’T HAVE ANY. THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO CAN’T HAVE CHILDREN WHO HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG IN THEIR LIVES…IT’S NOT A PUNISHMENT. AND TO GO FURTHER, THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WITH A LOT OF CHILDREN WHO DO NOTHING BUT SEE THEIR LITTLE ONES AS A BURDEN. YOU KNOW YOU’VE SEEN IT. YOU WANT HAPPINESS? DID JESUS LOOK HAPPY ON THE CROSS? AREN’T YOU TRYING TO FOLLOW HIM?

I’M NOT SURE WHY I’M ADDRESSING ALL OF THIS NOW, I JUST FELT THE NEED TO WRITE ABOUT IT. MAYBE IT’S JUST FOR MY SAKE. WHO KNOWS? BUT IF YOU’RE LIKE ME, AND SOME OF THE FRIENDS I HAVE, HERE’S SOMETHING TO CHEW ON.

*THE FLOOD.
*THE CROSS.
*A FATHER TOLD TO SACRIFICE HIS SON. (THOUGH HE DIDN’T HAVE TO IN THE END…HE WAS STILL TOLD TO DO SO.)
*JOB-THE LORD INITIATED THAT WHOLE STORY.
*“IS IT NOT FROM THE MOUTH OF THE MOST HIGH THAT BOTH GOOD AND ILL GO FORTH?”-LAMENTATIONS 3:38

WE HAVE GOT TO STOP THINKING LIKE AMERICANS. WE’RE NOT THE ONLY ONES WHO TRY TO FOLLOW OUR LORD. THOUGH WE HAVE OUR MORTGAGES, OUR PRIVATE SCHOOLS, OUR SAVINGS’ ACCOUNTS, OUR FREEDOM…THERE ARE MANY OTHERS-RIGHT AT THIS MINUTE-WHO HAVE NONE OF THOSE THINGS. I’M NOT SAYING WE SHOULD ALL FEEL BAD FOR HAVING THESE THING….I AM SAYING WE NEED TO BE AWARE AND DO OUR PART, WHATEVER THAT MAY BE. YOU KNOW, IN YOUR HEART OF HEARTS WHAT THAT IS.
WE HAVE GOT TO STOP READING ONLY THE PARTS OF THE BIBLE THAT WE LIKE AND THAT MAKE US FEEL ALL WARM AND FUZZY ON THE INSIDE. I AM NOT SAYING WE NEED TO FORGET THE GOOD…WE JUST NEED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THOSE THINGS THAT WE DON’T UNDERSTAND. I HAVE A PROBLEM READING TO MY SON ABOUT THE FLOOD, BECAUSE I DON’T WANT HIM TO ASK ME YET, “MOMMY, WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO WEREN’T IN THE ARK…”. ANYONE THINK THEY CAN ANSWER THAT? THERE WERE BABIES, WOMEN, MEN…ALL LEFT OUTSIDE OF THE ARK. WHAT DO WE DO WITH THAT?

I GUESS FOR ME, I’M FINDING A NEW SORT OF COMFORT THROUGH THIS. LIVING THROUGH SUCH A HORRIBLE INCIDENT HAS MADE ME SEE GOD SO MUCH BIGGER THAN HE ALREADY WAS TO ME. IT HAS MADE ME REMEMBER THAT SATAN ISN’T GOD’S EQUALLY POWERFUL, NEMESIS…GOD IS THE MOST POWERFUL ONE…EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS…EVERYTHING, EVEN THE HORRIBLE, HAPPENS BECAUSE GOD ALLOWS. THAT COMFORTS ME NOW. BECAUSE THE LORD IS BIGGER THAN THE DISGUSTINGNESS WE SEE HERE. HE HAS ALREADY DEFEATED IT. I WILL BE UNITED WITH MY MOMMA AGAIN ONE DAY, BECAUSE HE HAS HER.

MY GRANDPA TOLD MY FATHER MANY, MANY YEARS AGO, “SON, IF YOU GO ON TO LIVE A LONG LIFE, YOU WILL SEE A LOT OF DEATH”. HE WAS RIGHT. AND OH, DID MY DADDY SEE DEATH, FACE TO FACE. AS MY SISTER AND I DID. BUT THIS ISN’T THE FINAL WORD. THAT’S OUR STRENGTH, THAT’S OUR COMFORT…THIS IS NOT THE END. THAT IS HOW WE CAN SEE THIS AND STILL FOLLOW OUR LORD, THE VERY ONE WHO HAS SLAIN US.