How to confront your brother or sister in Christ who is living in sin?
How to move on from sexual abuse from ministry leaders?
Where to decipher where the Truth begins and the lies end from the pulpit?
How to respectively not talk ill-y of leaders and pastors who have done wrong, but yet hold them respectively responsible?
How to tell a community not to go to a specific church?
How to properly heal from being letdown, even years after the incident or incidents have happened?
How to have faith in God who's followers are despicable?
What to say to your offenders when they greet you like nothing has ever happened?
The list could go one. It is not like I have complete answers to them either.
I hear it everywhere I go. From my family, friends, strangers, and in my head.
And how could you possibly have an answer?
The same could be said for a thousand other things as well, where's the answer?
Rape, murder, abuse, slavery.
Are these crimes worse when committed by a said to be "holy" person?
Why?
Because we have established in our heads that this person is set apart based on what they have said or done?
Oh no, that is not it?
Oh because this person has "an anointing from "god" and a lot of people follow them"?
My pain does not go away no matter who you are.
So what gets me through? What is to get us through?
Too many times have I listened to these anguishes from loved ones & this soul within: "just give up."
And I have watched many give up, give up on churches, give up on pastors and spiritual leaders, and doctrines.
Surprisingly however, not one of those people who have given up on the established church have given up on Jesus.
Who or what is this Jesus?
"I know there is something out there, there has to be." "He has always been there for me." "God is god who outlasts them all" I hear and sing. How's come?
I am not going to post any scripture, I am not going to tell you what to believe or who to believe. I think you already know the truth and you have the choice to seek answers or not.
I think the most harmful thing a person can do who has seen such devastation is just sit there.
Have you seen the movie Bruce Almighty? It is a 3.0 on my 5 point movie scale. But it has some intriguing quotes that I would like to share and leave for you to contemplate. These are from "God" in response to Bruce's final remarks after giving up everything:
"That's your problem, Bruce. That's everybody's problem. You keep looking up."
What if the answers are right in front of you or in you?
Now, some Christians might be mad that I wrote that and honestly, it is slightly against what I believe. But I encountered some pretty low moments for several weeks a month or so ago and the thing that pulled me through was a reminder of something I had, something in me. As a Christian, that is God's Holy Spirit. I had completely forgotten-how silly of me!
That Spirit is something much stronger than my strength, much more powerful than my might, much more wiser than my knowledge.
As a Christ-follower I believe God's Spirit is all around, always working, always speaking to believers and non.
You don't need to go to church to learn that, just a mirror.
