I had a lovely discussion with some fellow people the other day and I would love to answer some questions that they had. I didn't choose to write this post because I want to prove them wrong just for the sake of proving myself right. I want to write about it because I believe many people don't understand some of these topics Christian or non-Christian. Now that I have been meditating on it for a few days so that I may attain organized thoughts I would love to share with you what is on my heart not to hurt people, but to help people. I want to help them understand a little better and I as long as I am not hurting anybody I believe that it is okay to talk about. Many of these people had extremely valid questions whether or not they were doing it with respect and love or with disrespect and hatred. As I go into the subjects that I remember most I would suggest if you are going to read this any further and you are not a Christian to respect this post and have an open ear whether or not you'll agree with me.
One question that was posed was "Is the force that designed creation defined by love?" If you love someone wouldn't you spend time with them? God took the time to create us. He loves us so much that He knows us by name. Not only does He know us by name, but He knows the very number of hairs that we have on our heads. (Oh, look three hairs fell out in the shower. That makes 1,212,340 hairs on Jimmy!) Haha, sorry. I could not resist. If someone is going to quote scripture as proof then Luke 12:7 says, "But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of value than many sparrows." If someone takes the time to know you that well there is no way you would doubt that they cared about you. The reason for me saying "if someone is going to quote scripture as proof" was because if anyone is going to quote something and use it against itself then it must be taken into context, i.e. the text, circumstances, and setting surrounding it. I have seen a particular scripture verse taken out of context recently and several times before that.
That scripture verse is Deuteronomy 22:20-21 which says, "But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel: Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you." One, this book is located in the Old Testament. This was the law written before God sent Jesus to this world. Back before God sent His Son, He had the high priest who was appointed by God sacrifice a clean lamb on behalf of the sins of the people so that they would be forgiven. Some Christians may disagree with me on this next part and that doesn't mean they are going to hell because of it just like I believe God won't send you to hell for getting piercings. If we put our faith in Him and live for Him I believe that we will be saved. Yes, we'll make mistakes and that's why we humble ourselves to ask for forgiveness. I'm going to bring you back to a familliar verse that many have heard and most people can quote.
John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." I hear all the time in church that God sent His Son to dies for our sins, but no where in this verse do I see this. Back when they lived by the law human sacrifice was considered sin. By logic if God cannot sin then this was not His purpose. I believe He sent His Son as an example of righteousness so that we can try to attain that and so that we are able to reestablish a close relationship with God as that sets us aside from impurity. The sacrifice that took place was God sending His Son to earth. God didn't murder His Son. We did which magnifies God's love even more so that He would keep on loving us after we crucified His one and only Son. I hope that I clarified that last point to your understanding. Another question that was brought up was "Why does God seem absent in events like the Holocaust? Does all of this constitute a "lesson of love"?" The answer to the last question is a simple no. When sin was brought into the earth the devil had a plan and the blueprints in that plan are to steal, kill, and destroy . In no way was God the doer of such evil things and in no way was He absent. Could God have stopped what was happening to His people? Yes. I say "His people" because there are several verses in the Bible that mention Israel as God's nation. I do not dare make wild claims that I know why God did not strike Hitler dead in those days because anyone truthfully cannot make those claims just as someone cannot claim that God was absent during those times for they were not there. They were not with every person who walked through this journey as well. One's experience is going to be different from another's experience and therefore one person could have been delivered from Hitler's hands and another one murdered.
I do know, however, that God's plans are greater than the plans the devil has set before us. Perhaps it was the devil's attempt at putting an end to God's people. Perhaps it was the devil's attempt at causing several people to lose faith which I am sure some did. Everything comes down to faith in those situations. It is almost as the faith that one must attain in believing the Big Bang Theory when they say it started off with molecules. Where did those molecules come from? Fact is something cannot come from nothing. I also have received the question, "Didn't God create sin?" When God created us He gave us the gift of free will or of choice which is another example of love. He will not force anyone to follow Him if they are not willing for if they are not willing or submitting then they do not love God. This is why the fallen angel, Lucifer, created sin when trying to overpower God after manipulating some of the other angels along with Him to do just that. As a result they were thrown into Hades. God knew it would happen. He could have changed their minds and controlled them, but if God controlled our every action then we would not be allowed free will, would we? When the devil came in the form of a serpent he convinced Eve that the one tree in the garden that both her and Adam were not to eat of was good. The devil changed her perception and she told Adam whose perception was then also changed. When they both took bite of whatever produce was on that tree God would not allow them back into the Garden of Eden. Again God gave Adam and Eve a choice. We were made for so many great purposes and one of them being so that we may exalt His name and have eternal life. These purposes come with God revealing them to us as we walk in faith.
Now if I may get a little more personal in this next part then please bear with me. I have had a very long, hard season in my teenage years. I have walked, crawled, and sat through a lot of pain and brokenness and more than I often lead on. Many of you I can guarantee would be surprised at what I have been through. All of the times I walked away from God through everything that I was going through not once did things get better. The times that I did walk with God were the times that I have experienced an overwhelming amount of peace in my life not because the things in my life were ceased, but because God carried me through the times I couldn't walk any longer and held my hand in the times that I could so that I could be made stronger through it all. There are many things I have endured in my lifetime that I don't know the "why." In life no matter what race, religion, or background not knowing every "why" is inevitable. Some would argue that the peace that I felt through these times were because of molecules working together. Say if that were true then why does it happen in the instances where I am walking on God's path and not in the instances where I am not? If that were true then God being all powerful could be the cause of those molecules working together in that way. No one, however, can argue my experience for they were not in my shoes which brings me to my conclusion.
I hear many of these people speak positively of peace and love yet I hear things like "burn churches" which absolutely appalls me. No argument that that would show love and bring peace would win. Granted there are some churches that are not right and do not live or preach the Word of God. Instead they preach their view rather than the view of the Holy Bible. This is a very sad thing to hear, yet no Christian acting under God's annointing would burn down those churches or even a place that doesn't worship the God who sent Jesus to this earth because it is wrong. On the other hand there are some very good churches out there that praise God and preach the Bible. They are the ones that are helping out communities and making good differences. Any one can do this. There are many people who give to charities and do positive things, but one can do this without following God. Someone absent of helping and loving others cannot do this following God because faith without works is dead as it says in James 2:14-26. Churches benefit others more than hurt them. Going back to the change that took place in my life when God was present I have to say would be that I have been able to love people who have hurt me and they have hurt me more than you can know. I would not be able to have a love even close to that after everything that has happened in my life if it wasn't for the change that took place when I came back to God. There was even an apparent change in my countenance.
It wasn't even one instance where I have walked away from God which shows my lack of faith that I had at the time, but everytime I turned around I know that God was standing right behind me with open arms ready to forgive me for everything that I have done even though I thought I was running away from God and that I was so far from Him. I will open up a little with you and tell you of a time I was bound in deep depression. I tell you this because I have nothing to lose. This happened a few years ago and you already know we all make mistakes and that God forgives us. Anyways, I was bound in a dark place of depression and I had no ounce of hope left in my weary body. I was overwhelmed by this depression so much so that my thinking was as cloudy as a stormy day. I locked myself in my room with a bottle of Vicodin. I was determined to take every last pill that was in that bottle and nothing could stop me. I started with one, two, three and found myself to five. I was severly high that night. My eyes were rolling back and my body just wanted to shut down whether it was going to sleep or dying that night. I woke up the next morning with pain in my organs which would be expected with that much toxicity in my 116 pound frame at the time. After two more days of the same pain I curled up with my laptop at three in the morning deciding to google how much vicodin would cause you to die. At the time I had read that six is enough to kill you. Many would speculate, but I believe God allowed me to live that night and no matter how you look at it God's hand is evident whether He allowed me to live if dying were the case or just the fact that He has delivered me from such a dark place that I would have never been able to get out of on my own.
That is one of my many stories of what I have been through. If God brought me out of such a deep place of darkness then I will never lose faith. Sure, I have some valid "whys," but my faith is in Him whether or not He chooses to answer them. Also if God answered every "why" we had then we'd be all knowing and if there was no sin there would be no reason for a savior. Therefore if that was the case we would not need God. If anyone has questions that they want answered with the intention of interest and a listening ear and not a bombardment of arguments then feel free to comment below. If you wish to ask them anonymously then feel free to e-mail me at: elaina.morgan21@gmail.com
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