I am very familiar in Christian circles. I go to bible studies and read quite a bit about the Bible and what is says. I do believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. It tells a story, partially historical, about God’s relationship with Man. It also has wisdom.
I was with someone recently who told me, “If it isn’t in the bible I don’t believe it.” A statement I find odd. Let me tell you who never said that… the Apostles, the early Christian Church who were being martyred for their faith. In fact no one could have said that for the first 397 years of Christianity. During that time, they prayed together, celebrated and created holidays, like Christmas and Easter and Pentecost. The early Christians had Mass, and Confession and Baptism and Confirmation. They elected Popes and had bishops and cardinals and priests. They listened and retold stories of People who had been with Jesus or the Apostles and read the letters of Paul for inspiration when they could find them.
When the Bible was finally created. It was another 1200 years before it could be printed and widely disseminated. Most people heard reading at Mass or from a preacher. A lot of the Mass was in Latin. The poor and uneducated, which would have been most of the world, learned about God from their friends and neighbors. And they listened to their guardian angels for inspiration and hope. That little voice in your head that says…God loves you and He really wants to go to Heaven so you can meet face to face…maybe stealing that sheep is a bad idea. That voice they could hear, because the world was quieter and people listened.
Today there is very little quiet. We have constant music or news or sports of just noise playing. No wonder we cannot hear from God or our guardian angel. We don’t listen and we don’t think we even need to listen. Yet look around. The world is so confused, it cannot understand gender, or war, or cruelty, or working diligently or charity. It can’t understand that God made us and loves us.
I watch too much TV and don’t sit in silence enough. Bad habits that I am trying to break but am uninspired to change. I have let myself become complacent and decided I am holy enough, I understand God enough. Part of that is self protection from a God who asks too much sometimes. One day I was sitting in my office and an old acquaintance stopped in. He handed me an envelope with $7,500 in it and told me he had borrowed money form me several years back and never paid me back. He also said I had never said anything. Now that is true, but in my heart I resented him for not even saying thank you, and I never dreamed that he would pay me back. But I was doing good at the moment he asked and was not doing as well when he was standing in front of me. So it was good fortune. He left I thanked God and was getting in my car when a good friend of mine called and asked for a favor. He had overdrafted his account and desperately needed $7,500. I remember my hand reaching into my pocket to grasp the money I had just received. How could God give a blessing and then take it away less that twenty minutes later. In the end I told my friend I would meet him at his bank. I gave him the $7,500. I knew that was what God wanted me to do. It certainly wasn’t what I wanted. I didn’t win the lottery three days later, I still had bills to pay and money was still tight. No prosperity gospel ending. But God made me live my faith, He made me back up my boast that I was a good Christian. I still remember that moment because it changed me. And it still is. At that moment I decided to listen and more than that, to obey, even when I didn’t understand, because in the end I decided that my Love of God was not really a practical matter or a reasonable decision, it was the crazy decision you make when you love someone, when caring is more important than understanding, when my discomfort is secondary to your neighbors peace.
Now I am far from perfect and no one in there right mind is ever going to put me on a stage to teach anyone. I am okay with that. I would rather sweep the floor and clean the dishes. That seems to be where God wants me. So that is where I am content to be. If you sweep floors or clean dishes with me you will undoubtedly have fun. Turns out there is joy in being where God wants you to be.
The musings of Peter 