Page 18 - Have Faith Oct_Neat

Day 19 Trust in his answers and his timing...

I have some questions... Isaiah 41: 10
I have some questions running through my to be forgiven when I know I’ve messed up.
head at the moment. Maybe the readers of Hopefully, all of us do that at some time. The
this reflection will help me to answer them. thing is, it’s ok to be like that. That’s what
My first question is, what does it mean for being human is all about. It is also what
one to be right? Does it mean to follow the being a Christian is all about. I think this also
law? Does it mean to punish those who are goes for most faiths. Wasn’t this the story of
wrong? Does it mean to put down those who St Paul? The man who wrote a big chunk of
do wrong and we don’t trust and then tell ev- the new testament? The man who perse-
erybody else so they can persecute them cuted anyone who spoke of Christianity?
too? Secondly, how can we make better The man who was present and witnessed the
when we have done wrong? When we have brutal execution of one of Jesus’s followers?
done something wrong in our lives and we The man who had to start again and con-
find it difficult to be trusted again, how do we vince everybody that he wasn’t the murder-
move forward? Lastly, how hard is it to really ous persecutor he once was? This was a
forgive? Three questions that I constantly man of the law. This was a man who upheld
search for the answers. Yet these are ques- the law and did what he thought was right.
tions that I feel we have all asked of our- Persecuting people for speaking of Jesus
selves at some point in our lives. I know I and love was wrong, people were imprisoned
have and sometimes I still do. I am not per- or even executed for it. It makes you think.
fect by any means, nor is anybody else that I In this day and age, one way that we defi-
know. You may be asking yourselves, where nitely have changed is, it is so much harder
are these questions coming from? It’s funny for us to forgive. I hear how people have for-
but just watching a film on the life of Saul of given someone of a sin, yet will not speak to

Tarsus (St Paul) really got me thinking. Life them or have anything to do with them. In
2000 years ago was very different to what it my eyes, this is not forgiveness. Forgive-
is today for many obvious reasons but one ness, to some people is not holding on to
reason really sticks out, it is so much harder what someone has done to you. A kind of
to believe in things these days. If someone way of freeing yourself. This is not forgive-
was to come up to you and say that Jesus ness. That is just not holding a grudge. I
had returned, it would be very hard to believe read somewhere once that when God for-
and that person would be persecuted as a gives, he casts the sin to eternal forgetful-
fool. Even though the Christian faith has ness. In a way, he wipes the slate clean.
been taught that one day it will happen. Isn’t that what we were taught to do? If it
Hmmm. What do I think? Honestly, I would was, why are we not doing it? If we can per-
probably think the same because I am no dif- secute someone for dong wrong how do we
ferent than anybody else. I would find it hard expect to be treated when we, ourselves get
to believe, yet I try hard to understand my it wrong? If we put someone down in public,
own faith, such as it is. Unlike a faith leader, then should we expect the same to happen
albeit Christian, Jewish, Roman Catholic, to us? Again, these are just questions in my
Muslim or whatever, I cannot teach or preach mind. I am not preaching to anyone but I do
the word of God. Why? Because I haven’t find the world we live in to be a difficult place
learnt it for myself properly. I still do wrong to be what we should be. So, what does it
from time to time, like us all. I make mis- mean to be right? I am still looking for the
takes, like us all. I turn my back, like us all. answer. Is there anybody out there qualified
But I am learning to turn back again and ask enough to tell me?

| 18 Have Faith