I wonder what are the questions that really haunt your nights, the thoughts and questions that creep into your mind when you're feeling a bit low?
I think one of the mandates of the follower of Jesus is to honestly confront those questions and to acknowledge that we don't always have conclusive answers.
One of the big questions for me, which might seem strange for a Minister, is the reality of God.
I have to acknowledge that sometimes my belief is virtually absolute and yet at other times I really wonder.
I personally follow Jesus not because of an absolute proven belief, but because of a faith that his way is the best way and that he's changed me for the better. I know him as a friend, not a fact of science, and walking his path is better by far than any other alternative I've found.
In a sense I'm a reluctant and unsure follower, but perhaps that's not a bad thing in the end.
3 comments:
Ahh.... the arguments for and against the existence of God.... can it be argued ??? Or is it just blind faith ?? Surely God is all knowing (omniscience), all powerful (omnipotent) and benevolent.... but if that is the case he can't want us to suffer, but there is suffering... he knows everything .. so he knows about it... he is all power but he chooses to do nothing about it.... So the question becomes... why the suffering ?? God's punishment ?? God made us free and we choose poorly?? Ahh no maybe...suffering makes us virtous... Well maybe ... maybe not... Arguments for the existence of God tend to be tagged as irrelevant .. as surley it is not a matter of reason but a matter of faith.... still lets make it clear... clear as to what sort of faith is required. The kind of faith that is required, is that without rational foundation... Yes sounds weird... and confronting, but in our societies terms... that is the fact jack !! God's existence can not be proven by physical means, neither can it be disproven. What does it mean ? It takes complete and utter faith to believe there is a God and complete and utter faith to believe there is not one... Food for thought...
I think those kinds of questions are normal. There are times when I question the devotion of my dearest friends. I think to doubt that which we know best is a very human thing. I sem to rememebr CS Lewis writing something rather witty and encouraging about this, but I cannot recall it at the moment.
Nice post Pete ... your honesty is refreshing and risky but as i read the other day, if we don't risk something for our faith, we don't appreciate the gift of grace.
I was thinking the other day about the size of the earth in relation to the universe and wondering what else is out there. It's such a massive expanse of unknown, yet somehow we think there is a creator that we relate to and he is concerned with our daily lives ... doesn't that seem like a tall story? I wondered whether i am the only Christian to think this.
Why would God make it easy for people to find Him? Would people earnestly seek Him if it was easy? If the "Where's Wally?" books had a massive picture of Wally on every page would people buy the book? I think the challenge for us as Christians is to find Jesus and God in the ordinary parts of life, not the extraordinary. It's easy to see God in great things but to see God in the smallest irrelivant details of life is the challenge and if we're interested in finding and knowing God, that's probably where He's hiding ...
Ryan
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