Navel Gazing, Part II
Another day dawns, and I read something like this:
We are not called to save people or help people get saved. That’s God’s job, and Jesus said “it is finished.” As Christians, we are called to love one another.
The mark of a mature Christian has nothing to do with how little you drink, cuss, smoke, have sex or how much you pray or read your Bible, or attend church and participate in the liturgy. The mark of a mature follower of Christ is the way one loves.
“This is how they will know that God sent me (that I am the One); by the way you love another.”
Follow the great commandment in the manner of Jesus and you’ll be living the great commission.
And then, I remember why I still refer to myself as Christian, and what I strive to become. Some day, I might actually learn to be comfortable with the process of becoming, and not so focused on the end result.
Posted by Allison in spirituality & religion |
May 23rd, 2006 at 8:20 am
Thanks for the link.
I have tried to comment here on several occasions but had to “register”???
Anyhow, I appreciate all that you have to and sharing your doubts, joys and hopes and frustrations. You are real and that’s what I like about you.
May 23rd, 2006 at 9:40 am
I’d turned on the registration feature in a (useless) attempt to slow/stop comment spam. Since it didn’t work anyway, I turned it off!
Thanks for stopping by. As difficult as it is to admit my thoughts sometimes, I realize that hiding them is pretty pointless. After all, if Jesus IS the answer, it’s not like my paying lip service will keep him from seeing what I’m thinking. So why pretend?
When, by the way, will you pick up your story? I’ve enjoyed reading about how you and your wife met — in some fantasy world, I always expected something like that, but instead, the concept of “meant to be” always got me in trouble instead. Hmmm…I think there’s a blog post in that. :)
May 23rd, 2006 at 3:30 pm
Excellent post. Thanks.
May 29th, 2006 at 11:39 am
I have been reading your blog on and off and I like your words.
I am sometimes not sure if the God really sent me to do something to love one another. I often asked myself: Is it really God’s will? I am told that there is always anther option that God permitted and granted. Do I suppose to forigve one another even the pain still comes to me? Do I suppose to exit? or continue stay to show God’s love but make myself suffer?
I guess my point is I am not sure I cleanly know God’s will. It seems to me there is always one way or another.
December 7th, 2006 at 2:16 pm
[…] I read. And I thought. And the whole time, I buried my head in the sand about what was happening inside of my head and heart. I was becoming — if not atheist — most definitely agnostic. Then came a question from Arwen, one that woke me up. As I wrote an answer, I started to ask myself, Am I Christian at All? After that initial moment of questioning, I quickly resumed convincing myself that I was still a Believer. Whew! Dodged that bullet, didn’t I? […]