Through The Wilderness

Morguefile

This past weekend, my daughter invited me to accompany her on a trip to a friend's baby shower. Her friend lived in another city several miles away, and since Karon had not seen her in a few years, she was excited about the trip.  I was too because I'd never been to that part of Florida before and, according to Karon, I spent too much time at home. So, armed with her GPS, and my two grand children in the back seat, we set off on a journey that her friend said would take two and a half hours. In reality, it lasted two hours longer because of intermittent heavy rain and road construction.

The latter portion of the journey caused us more anxiety as we drove through the wilderness, over bumpy roads, with miles of forest on either side, and just a few houses here and there. Were we on the right road? Did we have the correct address? Should we turn around? But since the GPS was silent, we figured we had to be going the right way, and so we continued. After a few missed turns, a brand new community with beautifully-designed houses and immaculate landscaping came into view. Karon and I looked at each other and exhaled in relief.

The Christian journey can take us through the wilderness at times. If we are seeking a relationship with Jesus Christ, we may find the pathway to Christianity is long, bumpy and oftentimes lonely. We may wonder if this is what the Christian life should be like.

If we already have a relationship with Him, we may sometimes feel like we have lost our way. Or maybe God has deserted us. God may be silent. Doubts and fears buffet our minds and we may feel like turning around.  But if we know we are following Jesus Christ, then we keep going. No matter how rough the road, we cannot afford to turn back, because if we do, we would miss the beauty and splendor that lie ahead.

Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9: 62).

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The Orlando Massacre

In the wake of this latest national tragedy, I just want to add my thoughts and prayers for the families of the victims in last week's shooting. I also want to say how proud I am to be a Christian. Many times when things like this occur, Christians seem to be MIA or seem to not care. This time, however, I hear expressions of sorrow and horror coming from the Christian community and exhortations to pray for and reach out to the loved ones of those who were murdered. I think we have borne out the true meaning of Christianity as taught by Jesus Christ:
 
If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ( Matthew 5: 46 - 47)

We are all saddened by the fact that 49 innocent people lost their lives in this senseless act of hate, and I think I speak for every right- thinking person when I say that we will not like to see another repeat of this tragedy. We have had far too many already. And this is why I believe we should have proper gun control. No private citizen should be allowed to purchase assault weapons. I know there are many who, while saying they are sorry about what happened in Orlando, will totally disagree with me. Their reasoning is that criminals will always be able to get their hands on these weapons. True. So let me ask you: do you leave your homes and your cars unlocked and your valuables unprotected because the criminals will always be able to get their hands on them? No. You buy dead bolts, alarms and security systems in order to protect yourselves. We must do the same to protect innocent lives.

Pointing The Finger

Every now and again I get a chance to watch one of the television court programs, and I am always amazed at the number of cases that are brought by family members against each other. Recently I saw one where the judge made the plaintiff and defendant - relatives - hug each other and make up right there in front of the television camera. It was a very moving scene.

The angry plaintiff accused the defendant of stealing her identity to pay her gas bill. In tears, the defendant explained that her financial situation was what caused her to do what she did in order to heat her apartment, but her relative kept on accusing her in a harsh manner. This prompted the judge to point out that the woman admitted she made a mistake and that none of us knows what we would do when we are in dire straits, as this woman was. Without condoning what the defendant did, the judge appealed to the plaintiff to be understanding. Of course, the defendant was still ordered to pay the damages.

Before we point the finger at others, we should first ask ourselves, what would I have done in that situation. Jesus taught many parables to illustrate this. On one occasion, He said, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. "

Someone said, when you point your finger at someone, there are three more pointing back at you. Remember that.