Questions

Not to sound cliche, but life is full of questions. And a lot of times we don't know the answers. I think most of you know about the awful shootings that happened in Copley last week. I didn't know any of the people, but some of the families of the victims go to my church. On Sunday my pastor was talking about when things like this happen, it brings up so many questions about why did this happen and why did these people have to die and why does God have these situations take place. I loved his honesty when he said, "I have degrees in God and have studied for many years, but I don't know the answers to these questions. I did five funerals this week. It was miserable. I'm exhausted. There are so many questions and things about God that we don't know or understand. But our questions will be answered one day, on the other side of heaven."

This life is hard. There's suffering and tragedy everywhere. But I have to believe that there is a reason to all of this. God is using this for something. I have many questions that I wish I had the answers to. Questions about everything. In 1 Peter, Peter addresses the fact that there will be hard times in our lives, but that God will bring us out of it.

"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." 1 Peter 5:10

Don't give up hope. We will overcome this. I personally can't wait for the day that I will stand in front of my beautiful Father's throne and it will all make sense. I will finally understand.

What to Say

How do you respond when someone calls Jesus an "extreme left socialist?" This question has been bothering me ever since a guy in my creative writing class said it during fall semester. I don't remember how we got on the topic of God, but it became very clear that I was one of the only people in my class with Christian beliefs(this was when I was still a student at Kent State). As I was listening to him talk, I began to think about what I could say to back up my beliefs. I couldn't think of what to say. I regret not speaking up during that discussion, but it frustrates me that I still don't know what I should have said in that situation.

As a Christian, I've had many experiences where people have criticized and made fun of me because of my faith. A lot of times I would just ignore it, but other times it would hurt. The incident in my creative writing class bothered me, not because my classmates were directly putting me down, but the fact that I stayed silent while I listened to them tear apart my beliefs and values. I didn't know how to respond.

Sharing my faith with someone who's not a believer is something I wouldn't consider myself good at. I can talk about God with my brothers and sisters in Christ for hours on end. When I was younger, my fear was that I would come off as a "Bible thumper" and then the person would be completely turned off by it. I would never shove my beliefs down someone's throat. You can't force people people to believe something.

I want to be able to have a conversation about God without it turning into a debate or argument. As Christians, we're called to bring others to Christ. I want to do that, I just feel like I need to learn some more about evangelism. And if any of you guys come up with a good response to "Jesus is an extreme left socialist," let me know.