(no subject)
I'm assuming you guys know the feeling. Someone you care about (even if it's someone that you don't think you should care about) tells you about something that they've done that they shouldn't have. It's really a horrible feeling. For me, it was a feeling of disappointment, and admittedly a bit of jealousy.
But then I started to think about it... why am I disappointed? I know that I'm no better than this person, and quite probably I'm actually worse off.
It really makes me think...
It does make sense though... God embedded in us a universal* idea of good and bad. But why, if we have this idea embedded in us, does it seem to be so muffled when it comes to our own actions? To quote Soul Asylum, "How on earth did I get so jaded?"
And then, when this sorta stuff happens over and over (that is, getting that horrible feeling when hearing about a friend doing something they shouldn't have), I wonder: what is God trying to tell me here?
I think part of the answer to this question is that He wants us to ask these very questions and really think about these things. I think too often Christians (or rather humans in general) don't think about why it is that they believe something. And honestly that ticks me off... why don't we utilize the amazing information processor that God put inside our craniums? My friend Chris put it best: "Humanity has such great potential, which, except for very specific individuals and events, it squanders and defiles unabashedly."
The other thing that I think God is trying to tell me is that I need to be careful about what situations I put myself in, lest I befall the same fate that my friends have. I take pride that I have had the "ability" to resist such temptation in the past, but as they say, "pride comes before the fall." CS Lewis talks about this sorta thing in (I believe) Mere Christianity. He essentially says that Pride is the worst thing that humans can have, even when pride keeps us from falling to temptation. (for instance, "I cannot [insert sin here], I'm better than that.") The reason pride is so evil is because it takes our trust from God and places it in ourselves.
So I've been a bit shaken up tonight. But I don't think it's a bad thing. At all. Confusing? Yes. A little scary? Yup. But bad? No... it's good for us to get shaken up. It refines your beliefs, it sharpens you, and it strengthens you. "What dosn't kill you makes you stronger." I'm shaken up after tonight, but strangely enough, I take comfort in that.
*an exception the the gramatical rule. haha, don't you love the English language?
But then I started to think about it... why am I disappointed? I know that I'm no better than this person, and quite probably I'm actually worse off.
It really makes me think...
It does make sense though... God embedded in us a universal* idea of good and bad. But why, if we have this idea embedded in us, does it seem to be so muffled when it comes to our own actions? To quote Soul Asylum, "How on earth did I get so jaded?"
And then, when this sorta stuff happens over and over (that is, getting that horrible feeling when hearing about a friend doing something they shouldn't have), I wonder: what is God trying to tell me here?
I think part of the answer to this question is that He wants us to ask these very questions and really think about these things. I think too often Christians (or rather humans in general) don't think about why it is that they believe something. And honestly that ticks me off... why don't we utilize the amazing information processor that God put inside our craniums? My friend Chris put it best: "Humanity has such great potential, which, except for very specific individuals and events, it squanders and defiles unabashedly."
The other thing that I think God is trying to tell me is that I need to be careful about what situations I put myself in, lest I befall the same fate that my friends have. I take pride that I have had the "ability" to resist such temptation in the past, but as they say, "pride comes before the fall." CS Lewis talks about this sorta thing in (I believe) Mere Christianity. He essentially says that Pride is the worst thing that humans can have, even when pride keeps us from falling to temptation. (for instance, "I cannot [insert sin here], I'm better than that.") The reason pride is so evil is because it takes our trust from God and places it in ourselves.
So I've been a bit shaken up tonight. But I don't think it's a bad thing. At all. Confusing? Yes. A little scary? Yup. But bad? No... it's good for us to get shaken up. It refines your beliefs, it sharpens you, and it strengthens you. "What dosn't kill you makes you stronger." I'm shaken up after tonight, but strangely enough, I take comfort in that.
*an exception the the gramatical rule. haha, don't you love the English language?