Wow, it's been a while since my last post. I am sitting here enjoying a beautiful day that only an awesome God can make. Birds outside singing back and forth to each other, and I sometimes believe that they are singing praises to God...(that's me thinking this). Psalm 145 says that all creation looks to Him, and depends on Him to supply their needs. I just believe that the birds, flowers and trees, praise Him too! Anyway, I am enjoying the singing and the beautiful day.
I am writing because I have been troubled about something that I witnessed on Facebook on yesterday. I know that FB is a place where everyone is free to post whatever they want to. I do realize that everyone does not do and think as I do...I get that, and I respect that. Sometimes things are said that are unkind. I read a post from a leading Christian author and teacher, and on her page was a question posted by someone. I don't know who the person is, and it really does not matter.
The person who posted on the author's page, felt free to make a statement, and the statement was, "Give me one example of God being good, just one example" The person said that they have not been able to get one person to give them an example. Wow! I was really moved by the statement, but more moved and troubled by the responses!
Various people set out to address her statement. I sat and read many of them, and I must say that I was appalled by what I was reading. I am sure that many of the persons who responded, considered themselves to be Christians, but I certainly would not believe it by the way that they responded to the statement. They proceeded to tell the person how stupid their request was, and how stupid the person was to ask such a thing. They told him/her that God is good because He still likes them after asking such a stupid thing, that if they knew the Bible, and would read it, he/she would know that God is good. This is true, but it was the tone in which it was said. So many of the people attacked, criticized, and crucified this person. So sad to me. This was a perfect opportunity to show the love of God to this person, to minister to him/her, and to let God's goodness flow to the person. I sure hoped that whoever the person is, I hope that they were not trying to make a decision whether or not to follow Christ. I hope that they were not standing on a bridge deciding whether to jump or not, because by the various responses...they probably jumped!
So often, we come upon people who wear a smile, but who are torn up behind that smile. We really don't know if that person was just a victim of the Oklahoma tornado, if they lost a loved one, if they are an unbeliever, or if they are a christian who is questioning God. There have been times in my life, that I have asked God, what is going on? Don't you see what is happening here? In my early days as a christian, before I really developed a relationship with God, I asked Him if He really cared about some things that were happening to me. God can handle all of our questions, whatever they may be. He is not going to get mad at us for asking them, He is not going to stop loving us, or punish us, or stop blessing us...that is NOT our Father. He will listen to every question. He will let us get angry at Him, even when we threaten to not share His Word, like Jeremiah did. He will just keep on being good, kind, loving, tender...He will keep on loving us!
I just hope that every christians would realize that we are here to represent God. We are the ones that God loves through. He reaches the lost through His children, He heals through us. He touches lives through us. We should always glorify Him by our lifestyle. We want grace. We want forgiveness when we stumble. We want God to embrace us when we are sad, disappointed, discouraged. We want Him to understand us when we question things. We by the same token, must be ready to extend grace to others. To love them, to forgive , to be merciful and understanding, to love! We cannot be christians on Sunday, and not on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and so on. We must be christians when others don't agree with us, when we are misunderstood, on our jobs, in a restaurant, at school...all the time, and everywhere!
This world is suffering. People are hurting. Many are depressed, discouraged, dismayed. Christians and unbelievers alike, are questioning. We must be like Jesus...always ready to love, always ready to forgive, to extend mercy and grace, always ready to let our light shine!
~Gayle
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