Dealing with Rips
I tried to fix a rip on the knee of some pants I have by sewing it up. It worked for a short time. I was quite proud of myself. I'd fixed a pair of pants on my own. I showed them to people, expecting them to congratulate me on my handiwork. The sewn up tear added character to them. It was a badge of honor displaying my ingenuity and thriftiness and it made my pants unique.
Then later in the day the threading tore apart. The rip was worse. All it ever had any hope of being was a temporary fix. I hadn't actually solved the problem, I just thought I had.
That's kind of how life is sometimes. I think I have things together. Then a small rip happens. It's bound to happen. The integrity of various areas of my life aren't ever as strong as I think they are. I usually apply a quick fix to the problem. Maybe I'll avoid a situation or confrontation with someone. I'll suppress feelings I have so I don't have to deal with them. I'll ignore something I need to take care of in the hopes that it'll go away. Eventually whatever it is that I'm doing stops working and the rip gets worse and more noticeable.
The way to fix a rip in the knee is with a patch. Sure it's going to look pretty ugly, but it'll fix the problem.
Sometimes I wish I could just go grab a new pair of pants.
Mathew 25
Mathew 25:41-46 says...
"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Two Christmas breaks ago I went to wal-mart and purchased a video game. I spent about $50 on it. My mother was waiting in line, so I decided to go out and wait in the car.
In the parking lot a young woman accosted me. I don't remember if she grabbed my sleeve or not, the memory has faded somewhat. I do remember her eyes. She was desperate, seeking someone to take compassion on her.
She asked me if I could loan her a small amount of money, somewhere around the sum of five bucks. I shrugged and said, "Sorry I don't have any cash." and promptly walked toward the car. I had a 20 dollar bill in my wallet. I could have told her that all I had was a 20 and didn't want to loan it to her, but I lied instead. I think it was because I didn't want her to think I was a total dirtbag.
The Parish on Lent
The Parish Speaks his Mind about Lent and Facebook
Greg's blog is one that constantly offends and yet causes introspection at the same time. He's a former Christian minister/professor who has given up on Christianity and become what I would probably call an agnostic Atheist. I highly recommend his blog, but caution you to take what he says with a grain of salt.
I still visit him occasionally because he's really good at criticizing Christians for their own hypocrisy, which is something that should be taken note of.
I myself gave up facebook for lent, which I admit was somewhat of a silly and impulsive choice. Not to mention my posting of the fact on my status so that people knew I was away totally went against Mathew Chapter 6 (it really did seem like a good idea at the time). I've however stuck with it so far and it has allowed for a little bit more reflection than I normally allow to seep into my day.
Greg is right in pointing out that large portions of Christian culture have degraded into little more than self-improvement. That's why there's churches doing entire sermon series on how to have better sex with your spouse. That's why Joel Osteen can sell millions of copies of "Your Best Life Now" and "Become a Better You". That's why evangelizing can quickly turn into an attempt to assuage doubts rather than an attempt to share the gospel.
It's hard for me to not focus on my own issues and my own journey. We need to be constantly reminded that our focus should also be turned to the spiritual growth and support of others. Ideally, focusing on helping others grow will cultivate growth within ourselves, plus it's just the right thing to do.
Going to a Christian University
I attend a university that's affiliated with Christianity, more specifically the Church of Christ. There are a great many good things about going to a Christian School. I've learned a lot more about understanding what scripture is saying and understanding the context in which it was written. I've learned things to strengthen and defend my faith.
On the other hand there's a general sense of being disconnected from reality. The term "bubble" has been jokingly used to refer to the isolation students seem to have from the community around them.
Back home I only have a few Christian friends and a lot of non-christian friends. I've known most of them since 5th or 6th grade. Can you imagine being told by your best friend in elementary school that he thought that the religion you practiced was a bunch of bologna? I had to deal with that
It put a lot of emotional stress on me at a couple of points in time, because I couldn't come to terms with people that I loved going to hell (which also led to a huge existential crisis concerning my beliefs on Soteriology, but that's for another post). At the same time it was somewhat of a blessing. I was able to open up to a couple of them and talk about religious subjects. I never changed anybody's mind, but I was able to give them more understanding of what it was exactly that I believed and they gave me tough questions that I was able to wrestle with.
Part of the problem of going to a Christian University is that it reduces the impact that you can make as a believer in Christ. There's not as many different points of view, so theological discussions can become quickly tiresome. There can be a temptation to fall into pretentious religious piety (something I am guilty of myself).
On the other hand, there are still people here who need love just as much as anyone else. There are people who struggle with addictions. There are people who don't believe in God. There are people who sit outside the social circle and in need of a friend.
The oppurtunities are still there, it's just a little harder to see them.