Anyone
landing on this blog can surmise that I’m a Christian. Well, I hope they can. I don't try to hide it. But if
you’re not of that persuasion, truth is, my faith is no more real than yours.
Even if religion is not for you, we are no different. I believe
in something. You believe in something. God. Prophets. Positivity. Energy. Nature.
Money. Power. Politics. Science. Culture. Entertainment. Relationships. Self. My faith
drives me, moves me onward. It sustains me. So does yours.
I’ve
embraced something worth living for, worth dying for. And maybe you've made
the same commitment. Maybe not. When it all proves too much of a task, you might want to let it go. At times, I feel the same tug. We really aren’t any different. We’re
human beings foundering in chaos, clinging to something we hope will save us,
or else, denying we need saving. Either way, you and I are the same.
The Christian
holds to the promise of eternal life through the forgiveness of sins and the grace
offered by the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Muslim accepts one God, creator and
sustainer, and wholly surrenders to God’s will. The Jew believes in the one
true God of the Universe, giver of the law. Other world religions build their
faith on the natural inclination of mankind to offer worship, to find purpose.
Even the non-believer desires something that lasts, views life with longing
eyes, seeks the meaning of it all, even if it ends in discovering there is
no meaning at all.
So, my faith
isn't any different than your faith, or lack thereof. We all search for something.
In my case, I took up Christianity and stuck with it. It’s a faith group, a
belief system. One anybody can join. Just find yourself a good church and plug in. But if you prefer, find a good mosque, or synagogue. Or get yourself a little Buddha
statue. Or something. Or worship the moon. Or join in a social movement and see
if that does it for you. Plenty of those to choose from right now.
Sarcasm? Little
bit. I don't mean to poke fun at religion. Here’s the thing: Clutching the crutch of religion, in the end, makes little difference. It might offer peace
of mind, a better life. And moral boundaries are good for the individual and for society.
But any belief system can get you there. As it is, my ideas of good and bad and
right and wrong might pit against yours at start a disagreement. Or a war. It’s
been known to happen.
However, while
my religiosity is no better or worse than yours, the One who called me to faith is different. The power of the gospel saves a soul from hell, redeems a
generation, rescues a planet, and provides a way for all people everywhere to realize
true freedom, to live unburdened in the presence of their Creator. No cost. No sacrifice.
The cost has been paid, the sacrifice made. The calling? I’m no different than
you, except that I answered when He called me. Think He isn’t calling you? If you’re reading this, maybe He is.
What we all
want, whether we admit it or not, is love. We want to feel it and express it. But
it’s always an unfulfilled dream away. It doesn’t live up to our expectations.
It’s fleeting. It does not satisfy.
Only one
love doesn’t disappoint, no matter who you are. Regardless of your religion, your dislike of religion, the object of your
affection, or the surety of your well managed plans, this is it. As the saying
goes, we’re all in this together. And this is all that matters:
I John 4: 9,10
For God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His
Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might
be saved.
John 3:16,17
