Life's Litmus

In another post, I recently wrote about my spiritual experience over the past year. I told of some of the most personal struggles and thoughts I've had recently. Today, I want to share the reason for posting. I didn't divulge all this information merely to share, or just to make myself feel good. I had another reason. I wanted to bring something to attention.

My experience is an example of why I believe we need to be more open. Our culture dictates that the most personal of problems, namely those affecting our minds, are to remain personal at all costs. I believe that this is the devil's trick to deprive us of aid from those who can provide help and support in the times we need it most. This can be exacerbated by the stigma that questioning one's beliefs is wrong. To be sure, questioning my beliefs put me at a disadvantage that I am still recovering from, but it was a disadvantage that caused me to grow, whether I liked it or not. At any rate, I think I would have been more open to seeking out help if I hadn't been given such a strong impression that it was wrong to question my beliefs.

I also had one other problem. Throughout this ordeal, I felt that this was something I needed to do on my own. This deep sort of spiritual questioning cannot be fulfilled by any one outside individual. However, there is a middle ground. It is possible for us to band together as a Christian community and support those who are going through times like this, as long as we don't dilute the experience by trying to do the hard work for them. Granted, we won't be able to do anything at all if the individual isn't open and honest about their needs, but I think we can all do better at making ourselves available, accessible, and supportive to these ends.

This is why I want to dedicate my life to the evangelization of those already in the fold, at least by conventional standards. I see a huge, unharvested field of potentially potent individuals for the Lord that are instead stagnating in their hand-me-down faith. I believe this happens not because of their own choice but because of the lack of developmental tools made available to them. Notice I didn't say the lack of truths, doctrines, beliefs, ideals, or morals given them. I think all these are given in spades, and given freely and expertly. I would like to focus my personal attention on helping our people, namely our young people, learn to make something definite, tangible, and above all, meaningful out of these wonderful gifts they have been given.

Spiritually, our young people are somewhat like tamed lions. They have all the makings of a lion: lithe bodies that are perfect for chasing down prey, powerful jaws that can crack open the thickest of skulls, and massive paws armed with retractable, articulate blades that can grab and hold on to the most squeamish of meals. What they don't have is a killer instinct. They haven't been trained how use these tools to make it on their own in the vast, often lonely wilderness that is our world. They lack the ability to hunt down truth, to masterfully bust apart lies, and, most sadly, to hold on to faith at all costs.

But I don't blame our parents for this. I don't blame our teachers. I don't even blame our pastors. I don't think blame will get us very far these days. Instead, I choose to appreciate parents, teachers, and pastors for doing such an admirable job of raising, teaching and mentoring our youth, even when it's not easy or appreciated. I have seen them do so much work for so little credit, while others sit back and criticize their hard work. I am trying to offer an alternative. Instead of working against each other, I want to see our worldwide church family become one steadfast, supportive organization, caring for each and every member and leaving no one astray. After all, I believe that this is what is often imagined and hoped for, but fairly seldomy worked towards.

I admit, I haven't been a very good example of the kind of community I am talking about, but I want to try. I want to spend the rest of my days finding ways of lifting my fellow believers up. I want to focus on the good that we are able to achieve, not the bad we so often do. I especially want to devote my time to ensuring that those already in our church, especially youth, develop into powerful, vibrant people of God. After all, only then can we change the world. By no means am I discouraging the evangelism of non-believers and those outside the church. Instead, I am encouraging that we all take a long hard look at ourselves and our believing neighbors. If we are not even secure in our own faith, what makes us think that we can cause newcomers to be?

I am not trying say that everyone has been in my place, but I do think it is safe to say I am not alone. Thus, I want to seek out those that can identify with what I have gone through. I want to try to use my experience to help give some clarity to the state they find themselves in. Of course, since these are all merely things I want, on my own I can do none of them. So I hope and pray that God will give me the strength and ability to do my fair part in this endeavor. I hope you pray for me too.