Stubborn Faith
Recently I wrote to a friend about how weary I am getting in the world, and made a statement that the only thing keeping me going was stubborn faith.
It's not that I have lost my inner joy. That joy comes straight from the Father, through the Holy Spirit, and comforts me night and day, never ceasing. But it seems like every time I look around, there is another example of pure vileness that I just cannot fathom.
My early childhood was lived in a low-income home, where we dug in the couch cushions for loose change, recycled bottles and cans, and scraped together what we could find in hopes of having dinner on the table. But the one thing that I never went without was love. I was raised to say please and thank you, to be courteous to others, to own up to my mistakes, and to be responsible for my own actions. I was raised to use my own brain to figure out things, not to blindly rely on other people for answers. Consequently, I have very well-rounded opinions and perspectives.
What I see going on in the world right now is selfishness, arrogance, and a complete lack of courtesy. What happened? Where have all the please and thank you's gone? What happened to saying 'hello' to people in the elevator, or smiling at someone as you passed them on the street?
I've seen it written lately that there are now two full generations of people who have been raised without faith in their lives. People who don't go to church regularly, or in fact, never have. People who think Jesus Christ was either a myth, a legend, or just a complete whacko. People who don't believe that you should take responsibility for your own actions, and who would rather take the easy road than work hard for what they want or need.
Gone are the days of playing with the neighbor kids until the street lights came on. Gone are the days of letting someone with only one item go ahead of you in the grocery store when your cart is full. Gone are the words of please, thank you and you're welcome.
People who say God doesn't exist or that Jesus was not the Son of God are missing out on not only the bigger picture, but the overwhelming joy that comes with small pleasures in life. I can look at the tree outside the window of my office at work and watch how it cycles its leaves every year, and I can see God there. I can see God in the giggle of the kids that walk past the office door. I can enjoy God through the smell of a wonderful barbecue dinner being prepared.
God can be found SO easily if anyone would bother to look. Instead, people are looking to instant gratification, which ultimately leads to complete lack of satisfaction and quite possibly an eternity of darkness and pain.
I will never think of Jesus as anyone but the Son of God. I will never say that God does not exist. I will hold on to my faith stubbornly and with both hands, no matter how vile and selfish this world becomes. Life without Him would be complete emptiness and eternity without Him is hell. And eternity is a very long time to be wrong.
