3xX, you say you have been through some difficult circumstances, and have trouble fighting your demons, yet you still believe in the a higher power that helps your friends and family. But you do not believe in God? To me it sounds like you certainly believe in something. That higher power you speak of is God. It doesn't have to be a man in the sky with a beard watching when we screw up or playing puppeteer. Can God not be found in the people in our lives? Aren't the people who are there for us in the toughest times God reaching out to us? People want some divine miracles where a lightning bolt flashes and everything is fixed, and in doing this we see the small miracles every day. The love of our family and friends is the love of God. When we turn to a friend in a time of need we turn to God. The gift of being a live and having other people is a miracle from God.
And I think it is extremely appropriate how Isaac portrays God as a human on earth "who sends him no letters" or doesn't call when being waited for. A watched pot never boils, and we miss the other things going on in our lives. We miss the small miracles that keep us going when we hope for something more.
I personally believe in a balance, so if we don't at times lose God, how can we find him? Sometimes you have to go there to come back. It's the hard times in our lives that we really get the opportunity to see God and his work in this world. The work of our loved ones. Things get hard in life, yet we are still hear today. We are living and breathing and that is all that matters. People say that God has abandoned us, but Isaac eventually found him while on his search in the song. There is still hope buried inside hurt of his heart, and that small ounce of faith is all that is enough. God will do the rest.
At best, I would consider myself Agnostic. I refuse to believe in God, or more so any religion because I have just found all religions hypocritical. I won't bash religion, God, your preaching, or other peoples beliefs. I am certainly open to the possibility that God may exist, but with my life experiences, I find it difficult to believe in such with how cruel and selfish our world is.
At best, I would consider myself Agnostic. I refuse to believe in God, or more so any religion because I have just found all religions hypocritical. I won't bash religion, God, your preaching, or other peoples beliefs. I am certainly open to the possibility that God may exist, but with my life experiences, I find it difficult to believe in such with how cruel and selfish our world is.
I would agree with you poolshark9 that God can be defined in many ways by many different people. Which the Fray does exceptionally well in this song, to each his own...
I would agree with you poolshark9 that God can be defined in many ways by many different people. Which the Fray does exceptionally well in this song, to each his own in how they interpret the song.
I'd agree that some facets of religion are hypocritical, but thats why it's left up to our will to decide what we want to believe. I think though, as the song could relate, that without the selfishness and cruelty in the world, we wouldn't have selflessness and kindness to overcome it. And I think that's the Fray's story in this song, their journey back.
I'd agree that some facets of religion are hypocritical, but thats why it's left up to our will to decide what we want to believe. I think though, as the song could relate, that without the selfishness and cruelty in the world, we wouldn't have selflessness and kindness to overcome it. And I think that's the Fray's story in this song, their journey back.
Thank you pool shark, all i can say is that God is real and we feel him in our lives every once in a while, whether or not we admit it, he is there, watching us, waiting for us to find him, to listen to him, to love him the way he loves us.
Thank you pool shark, all i can say is that God is real and we feel him in our lives every once in a while, whether or not we admit it, he is there, watching us, waiting for us to find him, to listen to him, to love him the way he loves us.
I think it is great to be respectful of each others beliefs. 3xX, you mention how hard it is to believe in a JUST God with how cruel the world is. I think many people ask the wrong question here. The question really is, " How can God not kill me in my sleep after what I did and said yesterday." What I mean by that is you ask what is wrong with the world.... Me. I have screwed this world up. I am greedy, selfish, lustful, prideful human. I am full of sin. Full of deceitfuls ways. People then...
I think it is great to be respectful of each others beliefs. 3xX, you mention how hard it is to believe in a JUST God with how cruel the world is. I think many people ask the wrong question here. The question really is, " How can God not kill me in my sleep after what I did and said yesterday." What I mean by that is you ask what is wrong with the world.... Me. I have screwed this world up. I am greedy, selfish, lustful, prideful human. I am full of sin. Full of deceitfuls ways. People then ask why did He make us that way. Well, then the question of how do we love eachother.... Through the power of choice. That is where morality comes in. We can choose to do wrong or right, be be cruel or loving. If God didn't give us choice we would be like a bunch of machines with no personality and all the exact same. And I also ask people when they ask me, "How can I believe in a JUST God with how cruel and UNJUST the universe is?" I ask you. But how had you this idea of JUST and UNJUST? A man calls a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What are you comparing this universe with when you called it UNJUST? A man feels wet when he falls into water, because man is not a water animal: a fish would not feel wet. Of course I could have given up my idea of justice by saying it was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then my argument against God collapsed too- for the argument depended on saying that the world was really UNJUST, not simply that it did not happen to please my fancies. Thus in the very act of trying to prove that God didn't exist- in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless- I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality- namely my idea of justice- was full of sense. Consequently atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be a word without meaning. I apologize for rambling a little, and I by no means am telling you that you shouldn't have your own beliefs in all this. I respect that completley. Many Christians sadly have the stigma of looking down upon everyone who is not Christian. But Christ wasn't like that. He was humble in all this. If I am after being just like Him then I should be the same. God Bless.
3xX and poolshark have both made really good points. With all due respect, 3xX, the one thing i kinda disagree with about is how you said religions are hypocritical. Are they really, or have their messages been corrupted by people. Jesus said to love all even your enemies. He never taught that we should hate gays or Jews or others unlike us. Those messages were spread by people who corrupted his messages for personal gain and because they were afraid of people who are different. They were not true disiples of Christ. I'm sure there are other examples of that...
3xX and poolshark have both made really good points. With all due respect, 3xX, the one thing i kinda disagree with about is how you said religions are hypocritical. Are they really, or have their messages been corrupted by people. Jesus said to love all even your enemies. He never taught that we should hate gays or Jews or others unlike us. Those messages were spread by people who corrupted his messages for personal gain and because they were afraid of people who are different. They were not true disiples of Christ. I'm sure there are other examples of that in other religions. Like with Muslims and terrorists. I know many people who are Muslim and live by the true Muslim message of peace and harmony and respect for Allah or God or Yahwen's creations.
I'm a devote Roman Catholic, so I might be a little bias. but thats what I think.
reading everything that you guys have said makes me think...uclaornd1313 said they were a devote roman catholic and i also happen to be roman catholic and poolshark also seems to have a very strong faith Str8706 also made some very strong points so it just makes me think what is God trying to tell us through what we are learning from eachother at this very moment? God's voice is soo powerfull that i can't help but to hear it through these comments even though there are no sounds. silence can be the loudest thing sometimes and i am experiencing what...
reading everything that you guys have said makes me think...uclaornd1313 said they were a devote roman catholic and i also happen to be roman catholic and poolshark also seems to have a very strong faith Str8706 also made some very strong points so it just makes me think what is God trying to tell us through what we are learning from eachother at this very moment? God's voice is soo powerfull that i can't help but to hear it through these comments even though there are no sounds. silence can be the loudest thing sometimes and i am experiencing what it is like as i type these words. it is all left up to our choice on how we take each and everything placed before us
I, too, almost started crying reading your posts. I have a friend who is quite antagonistic, while I am a firm believer in God. Your conversation, even though you two have never met (I think) was much more meaningful then any conversation I've had with my friend.
I, too, almost started crying reading your posts. I have a friend who is quite antagonistic, while I am a firm believer in God. Your conversation, even though you two have never met (I think) was much more meaningful then any conversation I've had with my friend.
Anyone ever read Angels and Demons? I personally have never seen the movie, but the book spiritually tells about a conversation a guard had with a priest how God can be omnipotent and benevolent: (posted from wikiquotes)(warning, this may be a spoiler for those of you reading the...
Anyone ever read Angels and Demons? I personally have never seen the movie, but the book spiritually tells about a conversation a guard had with a priest how God can be omnipotent and benevolent: (posted from wikiquotes)(warning, this may be a spoiler for those of you reading the book!)
Lieutenant Chatrand: I don’t understand this omnipotent-benevolent thing.
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: You are confused because the Bible describes God as an omnipotent and benevolent deity.
Lieutenant Chatrand: Exactly.
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: Omnipotent-benevolent simply means that God is all-powerful and well-meaning.
Lieutenant Chatrand: I understand the concept. It’s just… there seems to be a contradiction.
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: Yes. The contradiction is pain. Man’s starvation, war, sickness…
Lieutenant Chatrand: Exactly! Terrible things happen in this world. Human tragedy seems like proof that God could not possibly be both all-powerful and well-meaning. If He loves us and has the power to change our situation, He would prevent our pain, wouldn’t he?
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: Would He?
Lieutenant Chatrand: Well… if God Loves us, and He can protect us, He would have to. It seems He is either omnipotent and uncaring, or benevolent and powerless to help.
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: Do you have children?
Lieutenant Chatrand: No, signore.
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: Imagine you had an eight-year-old son… would you love him?
Lieutenant Chatrand: Of course.
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: Would you let him skateboard?
Lieutenant Chatrand: Yeah, I guess. Sure I’d let him skateboard, but I’d tell him to be careful.
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: So as this child’s father, you would give him some basic, good advice and then let him go off and make his own mistakes?
Lieutenant Chatrand: I wouldn’t run behind him and mollycoddle him if that’s what you mean.
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: But what if he fell and skinned his knee?
Lieutenant Chatrand: He would learn to be more careful.
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: So although you have the power to interfere and prevent
your child’s pain, you would choose to show you love by letting him learn his own lessons?
Lieutenant Chatrand: Of course. Pain is part of growing up. It’s how we learn.
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: Exactly.
One of my fav parts in that book...
Anyway...This song speaks to me of a man who never found meaning in his life, until the proclained day in the song. I think he's happy that God has helped him, but still really frustrated that God took so long to do it.
Stop inserting your beliefs into others'. This what breeds hatred towards religion. If he believes in a higher power, he believes in a higher power. It does not mean that he's incorrectly referring to God. I'm tired of people pointing out God as the source of human kindness, nullifying the effort of humanity. I believe human kindness springs from humans compassion, or perhaps just their egoistical motifs.
Stop inserting your beliefs into others'. This what breeds hatred towards religion. If he believes in a higher power, he believes in a higher power. It does not mean that he's incorrectly referring to God. I'm tired of people pointing out God as the source of human kindness, nullifying the effort of humanity. I believe human kindness springs from humans compassion, or perhaps just their egoistical motifs.
Yeah, I think I agree with buddha_the_god. I personally am really agnostic, believe in a higher power but I would never be part of religion... of choice, of course. The vast amount of religions out there, the vast amount of possible Gods out there, there's too many for my head! haha
If you're religious, then I respect that. It takes a lot. My mother is very Christian and my dad is very atheist, I've had a taste of both worlds :)
This is an alright song, anyway!
Yeah, I think I agree with buddha_the_god. I personally am really agnostic, believe in a higher power but I would never be part of religion... of choice, of course. The vast amount of religions out there, the vast amount of possible Gods out there, there's too many for my head! haha
If you're religious, then I respect that. It takes a lot. My mother is very Christian and my dad is very atheist, I've had a taste of both worlds :)
This is an alright song, anyway!
Yeah, I think I agree with buddha_the_god. I personally am really agnostic, believe in a higher power but I would never be part of religion... of choice, of course. The vast amount of religions out there, the vast amount of possible Gods out there, there's too many for my head! haha
If you're religious, then I respect that. It takes a lot. My mother is very Christian and my dad is very atheist, I've had a taste of both worlds :)
This is an alright song, anyway!
Yeah, I think I agree with buddha_the_god. I personally am really agnostic, believe in a higher power but I would never be part of religion... of choice, of course. The vast amount of religions out there, the vast amount of possible Gods out there, there's too many for my head! haha
If you're religious, then I respect that. It takes a lot. My mother is very Christian and my dad is very atheist, I've had a taste of both worlds :)
This is an alright song, anyway!
poolshark...God is considered by Christians as "the man in the sky with a beard watching when we screw up or playing puppeteer." other religions have different titles or names for their respective deities, but God refers to the Christian deity, the father of Jesus, Creator of the universe. According to Christians, man was created in God's image, however, to search for his role in everyday life seems to be getting carried away. If god were merciful and benevolent, would he allow atrocities such as rape, kidnapping, and genocide to exist? Furthermore, if all powerful, why does Satan even exist anymore?...
poolshark...God is considered by Christians as "the man in the sky with a beard watching when we screw up or playing puppeteer." other religions have different titles or names for their respective deities, but God refers to the Christian deity, the father of Jesus, Creator of the universe. According to Christians, man was created in God's image, however, to search for his role in everyday life seems to be getting carried away. If god were merciful and benevolent, would he allow atrocities such as rape, kidnapping, and genocide to exist? Furthermore, if all powerful, why does Satan even exist anymore? If God is all powerful, as Christians believe and as the Bible states, then he should be able to crush Satan. Finally...consider this: more people have died in the name of Jesus Christ than of any other man, idea, or deity...
personally, I love this song. I also believe that your beliefs are your own. If Christianity brings you peace, happiness, hope, and makes you a better person, then by all means, devote yourself to it's dogma. I respect that and realize that it is a path to assurance, and hope...hope that can sometimes be the only driving force behind a person's very existence. I believe that the whole point of this song is simply to show that hope is a gift to treasure. something we have to love and to which we must hold. no matter where you find hope...cherish it, and never let it slip away.
(so i heard this song playing in a hardware store recently and i began to dance a little, even as my soul seemed to echo along =))
(so i heard this song playing in a hardware store recently and i began to dance a little, even as my soul seemed to echo along =))
perhaps God does leave all of us messages and sends letters, and sometimes we heed them, but sometimes we might read them and ignore them, or we might not read them at all because we do not consider them relevant or worthy of our time, energy, and attention, which can be seen as resources entrusted to us by God, so we ought to use them in a way that is most beneficial...
perhaps God does leave all of us messages and sends letters, and sometimes we heed them, but sometimes we might read them and ignore them, or we might not read them at all because we do not consider them relevant or worthy of our time, energy, and attention, which can be seen as resources entrusted to us by God, so we ought to use them in a way that is most beneficial in accordance to His perfect wisdom and will and not what we might think is most beneficial. sometimes we might listen to the messages He leaves us, that can be through a feeling of warning, and read the letters he sends us, that can be His Word and through the people we encounter, and sometimes we forget what His messages and letters said, like we might forget our reflection, as seen in our hearts, when we walk away from a mirror, which can be the holiness of God.
perhaps He does all of these things, leaves us messages and sends us letters, through His Spirit. for as some might believe did not the Spirit inspire the Word of God? and does not the Word of God consist of messages and letters of love including encouragement and wisdom, among other things? also, do not some of us believe that God used people, perhaps similar to how a person uses a writing instrument, not only to write His Word when it was physically written down, but also might He not through the Spirit use us in a similar way, to write on tables of human hearts, with all that we do in love and for the glory of God? so that His glory might be more fully known?
people who say that they love God, a holy and perfect God, and yet do not act wholly in love, are not reflecting His love at all or as fully as they might. as humans, we are tempted to let the desires of the flesh, or our sinful nature control us, which among other things might include hatred. people who might act, perhaps more obviously so, and less obviously so as well, in a hypocritical manner are rebuked many times in the Word of God, such as in Matthew 23:27: 'Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hyprocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean.' (while writing this, i am reminded of how beautiful the language of the Word of God is and how creative among other things)
with regard to hypocrites, people might act hypocritically because they are not submitting wholly to the Spirit of God, and still might let themselves be primarily controlled by the desires of the flesh, or their old self as some might refer to it, even though they claim to be born again in Christ. perhaps being born again in Christ does not mean a person will act perfectly in love for the rest of their lives on this earth. rather, it might mean that we ought to live by faith in the Spirit of God that might lead and counsel us in His holy and perfect ways. this is contrary to living by our own desire or effort in a way that we try futilely to establish a righteousness of our own, instead of relying on the righteousness of God and the Son of God, who some might believe fulfilled the penalty of the law, for the penalty of sin is death by dying on the cross, and not only physically dying on the cross, but by experiencing complete separation from God and His love.
people who profess to believe in God are urged by His Word to walk humbly in love. perhaps in part that means acknowledging before God and man when you have not acted in love and asking for forgiveness, for offending another person or people, and perhaps more importantly for offending the holiness of God, and of the Son of God who died so that if a person believes in the One God sent and the sacrifice He made, that he or she might have His righteousness and be called a son of the living God. in this way, when a person who believes in God sins, if he or she humbles him or herself and repents before God, and things not only about how what they have done has hurt other people, and themselves, but how it has grieved God, he or she might not feel utterly hopeless, for he or she has faith, and hope that in God's eyes, he or she is covered by the blood of Christ, and so therefore, his or her life has been redeemed from slavery to sin, and that when the day of judgement, the Son of God will be his or her advocate and His blood covering him or her will save him or her from being condemned to death for his or her transgressions. and in that we can rejoice.
it might also be that we might be more humble, patient, and loving with people that we might encounter as Christ was humble, patient, and loving when He lived on the earth, and how God, if a perfect and holy God exists, must be patient with us, who use the free will He has given us to sin. i do not know fully why he allows us to sin and grieve one another and Him so deeply. perhaps in part He gives us free will because if we 'have to be perfect' because we have no other choice than to be perfect, then we might be similar to perfectly programmed robots, and though it might seem to be a 'perfect' existence, it perhaps is flawed in some ways. also, perhaps we can appreciate His glory including perhaps His perfect love even more because we who live on this earth are now imperfect, and will become perfect when perfection comes.
then we might return to the question of what His reasoning might be, for if it is said that perfection, as mentioned in a translation of the Word of God, will come, and there will be no grief any longer, and God will live with man, then why not have man experience it from the beginning? Some people might say that man did live in perfection in the beginning, or at least close to it, because sin still have the capacity to exist. And yet, because man was disobedient to God, in order for the law to be fulfilled, or justice to be done, there must be a punishment for their disobedience, so they were evicted from the garden of Eden and no longer did God walk among them. and some time later, Christ came and died for all of man's disobedience to God, and for all of their sins. Christ, who was holy and perfect, was condemned, and suffered the penalty we deserve, so that we might have life, and so that God in all of His glory including His holiness, might be able to live with us because covered by the blood of Christ, we are as holy as He is.
perhaps because some of us know the extent of our transgressions, that we have broken although perhaps indirectly every commandment of God, we are more humble and patient and loving to even those who grieve us. and though we might constantly mourn for them grieving us, we also might acknowledge that perhaps they grieve God, who is holy and perfect, even more. and some of us might believe God has forgiven us much, so that we forgive others much as well and submit to His will so that we might love them the way He and Christ did and does. with regard to what some might consider the commandments of God, one of them is translated as 'thou shalt not murder' without cause, but only God, if He is indeed, holy and perfect, can determine if it is just for a person to be killed. also, it is written that to not do the good one ought to do is sin. so even if we, for instance, did not murder someone without cause, almost 16,000 children die every day of hunger and poverty related causes, that is almost 6,000,000 deaths a year, and approximately one death every five seconds.
in reference to the above, i would like to make it clear that i am not saying that every person is called to help some of these particular children stay alive. though some might feel a special burden on their heart to reach out to these people. for some of us as members of a body, whose head is Christ, are as a body, called to meet the needs of others. in this case, some might feel called to meet this need by, for instance, making a contribution to a reputable charitable organization that might not only help children by providing direct aid for them to survive physically on a daily basis, but also invests in their community, so that together through other opportunities, such as job skills training, the community might thrive as well.
as mentioned, it might be that each person is called to use the resources including talents, time, and money given to him or her to meet the needs of others in various capacities. at the same time, perhaps each one of us is also called by God to love our neighbor as ourselves, which is perhaps where the so-called golden rule of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you comes from. for would we not want someone to reach out to us if we were starving in a physical sense or spiritual sense? perhaps in part because it is by chance, or the grace of God that we are not them, that some of us were not born into a poverty that leads to physical or spiritual starvation, thus ought we not to be concerned for them? and to those who might believe in the One He sent, who also met the physical and spiritual needs of those He encountered, as referred to in 2 Corinthians 7, ought we not to have earnestness, which godly sorrow has produced in us, what eagerness to clear ourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done?
yet, if we do not love our neighbors as ourselves and do not do unto others as as we would have them do unto us, and we thereby, cause the death of our neighbor, are we not responsible in part, or perhaps in whole, and have we not murdered them, though perhaps indirectly, by not doing the good we ought to have done? also, we might be trapped even when we do good deeds if we seek to establish a righteousness of our own. if we say we are good because we do good things every so often, but do not live sacrificially as Christ did, perhaps by only giving what we have that is 'extra' instead of giving to others through the Spirit even if it hurts. and still, even if we do these things, we might not be a cheerful giver, we might be resentful, and we might boast in gifts that we do not give, for the things we give are not completely ours in that they are entrusted to us by God, and it is He who gives to us, or blesses us, so that we might give to others, so that others might be blessed by Him through us. to those who might believe, i hope that you all might remember that you do not belong to yourselves but to one another in Christ. for we are not only one body, whose head is Christ, but we are also called to be one family, and as children of God, we ought to have concern for the members of our family in God as well as those who may not yet believe, or may never believe, for all are our neighbors, whom we are called to love.
if the law of God can be summed up as 'Love your neighbor as yourself' then if we turn a blind eye to this and other social injustices that we are called not to ignore, for Christ did not and God does not ignore them (even though we might think that He does), then we are not obeying God and what is love for God but to obey His commands? (1 John 5) yet, we who say we believe in Christ and God, perhaps are even more responsible, for to whom much is given, much is expected. (apparently, this is found in the Word of God and not just spiderman movies) it is written that we are all made in the image of God; at the same time, those who profess to believe in God and the One He sent, have perhaps an even greater responsibility to love their neighbor because they say they believe. those who are called to be like Christ and God, are called to be God's hands and feet to meet the needs of others including physically and materially among other things.
yet, even those who desire to seek after God's own heart, to love as He does in a holy and perfect love, fall short of His glory. and when we do, He is still there to encourage us, to remind us that nothing can separate us from His love. if you read the Word of God, you might find expressed in it many, if not all of your longings and all of your sorrows. and yet amidst mourning, you might also find cause for rejoicing and a peace that transcends all understanding, rest for your soul that can only be found in Him. for He gives us perhaps the only words that can comfort us in our inmost being, and He also in His word, gives us songs that only a heart who knows Him can sing, and He also in His word, promises that He will live with His people, and He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will no longer be any cause for grief.
there is perhaps cause for grief now, though some people might be able to rejoice in the Lord and His promises as well. the life of a person who believes in God is perhaps characterized as mourning throughout the Word of God, including in Psalms, Job, Ecclesiastes, and Proverbs among others and groaning in Romans 8 among other places, and the man of sorrows, or suffering, that is referred to in Isaiah 53 might indeed be Christ. i used to think that i was 'depressed' because i would often feel a strong sense of sorrow, and in some ways i was indeed afflicted, in part from my heart being far away from God, but by turning more wholly to His word, and by being humbled by what i found including how unfaithful i and mankind is to God, i realized that some of that which i had felt sorrowful about consisted of worldly sorrow, which is perhaps in part how what i and other people have done to hurt or grieve one another, which might produce despair that leads to death, and not godly sorrow, which is how what i and other people might have done to grieve God. for if i, who am not holy and perfect, can feel so grieved, how much more will God, who some might believe is holy and perfect, be grieved?
as mentioned, realizing more clearly how much i have grieved God and continue to grieve God, though perhaps less than before helped me be more humble, patient, and loving. in Psalms, and in other places in the Word of God, David a king, often talks about the arrogant mocking him and insulting him without cause and sometimes seeking his own life, or seeking or murder him. he also talks about being abandoned and betrayed by those who he had trusted. yet perhaps He always praises God, for God remains faithful to him and has not forsaken him and he trusts in His promises, and rejoices in His unfailing love that endures forever. so even though he is afflicted, and is surrounded on all sides by enemies, he does utterly despair, but still rejoices in the Lord and praises His name. (i used to listen to music, searching constantly for songs that could express the feelings i felt, the sorrow, the anguish, and then when i finally quieted myself before God, and i looked in His word as if with new eyes, i found many of the feelings that i had expressed so profoundly in His word, perhaps better than all of the songs i had ever listened to in my life, and also, for those who might believe, the Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express)
perhaps to end, i would like to refer to a verse in Galatians 5, since some of us live by the Spirit, and i wish that all of us would, let us keep in step with the Spirit. let us not become conceited, provoking, or envying each other. and it is perhaps in some ways true, that there are those who do not seem to live by the Spirit, and yet they seem to behave even more honorably than us in some ways. so let us be humble, and exalt others above ourselves, like Christ did when He humbled Himself, and exalted us above Himself, for if we are all made in the image of God, we in some ways bear His likeness. and for those who profess to believe in Christ, i prayerfully hope that as it is written in 2 Corinthians 3 you might show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink, but the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.
and i hope that we might all remember, that above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins, and perhaps a multitude of sins might never have existed, if we had first acted in love.
3xX, you say you have been through some difficult circumstances, and have trouble fighting your demons, yet you still believe in the a higher power that helps your friends and family. But you do not believe in God? To me it sounds like you certainly believe in something. That higher power you speak of is God. It doesn't have to be a man in the sky with a beard watching when we screw up or playing puppeteer. Can God not be found in the people in our lives? Aren't the people who are there for us in the toughest times God reaching out to us? People want some divine miracles where a lightning bolt flashes and everything is fixed, and in doing this we see the small miracles every day. The love of our family and friends is the love of God. When we turn to a friend in a time of need we turn to God. The gift of being a live and having other people is a miracle from God.
And I think it is extremely appropriate how Isaac portrays God as a human on earth "who sends him no letters" or doesn't call when being waited for. A watched pot never boils, and we miss the other things going on in our lives. We miss the small miracles that keep us going when we hope for something more.
I personally believe in a balance, so if we don't at times lose God, how can we find him? Sometimes you have to go there to come back. It's the hard times in our lives that we really get the opportunity to see God and his work in this world. The work of our loved ones. Things get hard in life, yet we are still hear today. We are living and breathing and that is all that matters. People say that God has abandoned us, but Isaac eventually found him while on his search in the song. There is still hope buried inside hurt of his heart, and that small ounce of faith is all that is enough. God will do the rest.
At best, I would consider myself Agnostic. I refuse to believe in God, or more so any religion because I have just found all religions hypocritical. I won't bash religion, God, your preaching, or other peoples beliefs. I am certainly open to the possibility that God may exist, but with my life experiences, I find it difficult to believe in such with how cruel and selfish our world is.
At best, I would consider myself Agnostic. I refuse to believe in God, or more so any religion because I have just found all religions hypocritical. I won't bash religion, God, your preaching, or other peoples beliefs. I am certainly open to the possibility that God may exist, but with my life experiences, I find it difficult to believe in such with how cruel and selfish our world is.
I would agree with you poolshark9 that God can be defined in many ways by many different people. Which the Fray does exceptionally well in this song, to each his own...
I would agree with you poolshark9 that God can be defined in many ways by many different people. Which the Fray does exceptionally well in this song, to each his own in how they interpret the song.
I'd agree that some facets of religion are hypocritical, but thats why it's left up to our will to decide what we want to believe. I think though, as the song could relate, that without the selfishness and cruelty in the world, we wouldn't have selflessness and kindness to overcome it. And I think that's the Fray's story in this song, their journey back.
I'd agree that some facets of religion are hypocritical, but thats why it's left up to our will to decide what we want to believe. I think though, as the song could relate, that without the selfishness and cruelty in the world, we wouldn't have selflessness and kindness to overcome it. And I think that's the Fray's story in this song, their journey back.
I read these two posts and almost started crying... Thank you for not getting in a huge fight and start bashing each others' beliefs.
I read these two posts and almost started crying... Thank you for not getting in a huge fight and start bashing each others' beliefs.
You have given me hope. :)
You have given me hope. :)
Poolshark- I agree wholeheartedly with your interpretation Also give props to the both of you for not getting into an argument or heated debate.
Poolshark- I agree wholeheartedly with your interpretation Also give props to the both of you for not getting into an argument or heated debate.
Thank you pool shark, all i can say is that God is real and we feel him in our lives every once in a while, whether or not we admit it, he is there, watching us, waiting for us to find him, to listen to him, to love him the way he loves us.
Thank you pool shark, all i can say is that God is real and we feel him in our lives every once in a while, whether or not we admit it, he is there, watching us, waiting for us to find him, to listen to him, to love him the way he loves us.
I think it is great to be respectful of each others beliefs. 3xX, you mention how hard it is to believe in a JUST God with how cruel the world is. I think many people ask the wrong question here. The question really is, " How can God not kill me in my sleep after what I did and said yesterday." What I mean by that is you ask what is wrong with the world.... Me. I have screwed this world up. I am greedy, selfish, lustful, prideful human. I am full of sin. Full of deceitfuls ways. People then...
I think it is great to be respectful of each others beliefs. 3xX, you mention how hard it is to believe in a JUST God with how cruel the world is. I think many people ask the wrong question here. The question really is, " How can God not kill me in my sleep after what I did and said yesterday." What I mean by that is you ask what is wrong with the world.... Me. I have screwed this world up. I am greedy, selfish, lustful, prideful human. I am full of sin. Full of deceitfuls ways. People then ask why did He make us that way. Well, then the question of how do we love eachother.... Through the power of choice. That is where morality comes in. We can choose to do wrong or right, be be cruel or loving. If God didn't give us choice we would be like a bunch of machines with no personality and all the exact same. And I also ask people when they ask me, "How can I believe in a JUST God with how cruel and UNJUST the universe is?" I ask you. But how had you this idea of JUST and UNJUST? A man calls a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What are you comparing this universe with when you called it UNJUST? A man feels wet when he falls into water, because man is not a water animal: a fish would not feel wet. Of course I could have given up my idea of justice by saying it was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then my argument against God collapsed too- for the argument depended on saying that the world was really UNJUST, not simply that it did not happen to please my fancies. Thus in the very act of trying to prove that God didn't exist- in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless- I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality- namely my idea of justice- was full of sense. Consequently atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be a word without meaning. I apologize for rambling a little, and I by no means am telling you that you shouldn't have your own beliefs in all this. I respect that completley. Many Christians sadly have the stigma of looking down upon everyone who is not Christian. But Christ wasn't like that. He was humble in all this. If I am after being just like Him then I should be the same. God Bless.
3xX and poolshark have both made really good points. With all due respect, 3xX, the one thing i kinda disagree with about is how you said religions are hypocritical. Are they really, or have their messages been corrupted by people. Jesus said to love all even your enemies. He never taught that we should hate gays or Jews or others unlike us. Those messages were spread by people who corrupted his messages for personal gain and because they were afraid of people who are different. They were not true disiples of Christ. I'm sure there are other examples of that...
3xX and poolshark have both made really good points. With all due respect, 3xX, the one thing i kinda disagree with about is how you said religions are hypocritical. Are they really, or have their messages been corrupted by people. Jesus said to love all even your enemies. He never taught that we should hate gays or Jews or others unlike us. Those messages were spread by people who corrupted his messages for personal gain and because they were afraid of people who are different. They were not true disiples of Christ. I'm sure there are other examples of that in other religions. Like with Muslims and terrorists. I know many people who are Muslim and live by the true Muslim message of peace and harmony and respect for Allah or God or Yahwen's creations. I'm a devote Roman Catholic, so I might be a little bias. but thats what I think.
reading everything that you guys have said makes me think...uclaornd1313 said they were a devote roman catholic and i also happen to be roman catholic and poolshark also seems to have a very strong faith Str8706 also made some very strong points so it just makes me think what is God trying to tell us through what we are learning from eachother at this very moment? God's voice is soo powerfull that i can't help but to hear it through these comments even though there are no sounds. silence can be the loudest thing sometimes and i am experiencing what...
reading everything that you guys have said makes me think...uclaornd1313 said they were a devote roman catholic and i also happen to be roman catholic and poolshark also seems to have a very strong faith Str8706 also made some very strong points so it just makes me think what is God trying to tell us through what we are learning from eachother at this very moment? God's voice is soo powerfull that i can't help but to hear it through these comments even though there are no sounds. silence can be the loudest thing sometimes and i am experiencing what it is like as i type these words. it is all left up to our choice on how we take each and everything placed before us
To kdawg08, poolshark8, and 3xX.
To kdawg08, poolshark8, and 3xX.
I, too, almost started crying reading your posts. I have a friend who is quite antagonistic, while I am a firm believer in God. Your conversation, even though you two have never met (I think) was much more meaningful then any conversation I've had with my friend.
I, too, almost started crying reading your posts. I have a friend who is quite antagonistic, while I am a firm believer in God. Your conversation, even though you two have never met (I think) was much more meaningful then any conversation I've had with my friend.
Anyone ever read Angels and Demons? I personally have never seen the movie, but the book spiritually tells about a conversation a guard had with a priest how God can be omnipotent and benevolent: (posted from wikiquotes)(warning, this may be a spoiler for those of you reading the...
Anyone ever read Angels and Demons? I personally have never seen the movie, but the book spiritually tells about a conversation a guard had with a priest how God can be omnipotent and benevolent: (posted from wikiquotes)(warning, this may be a spoiler for those of you reading the book!)
Lieutenant Chatrand: I don’t understand this omnipotent-benevolent thing.
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: You are confused because the Bible describes God as an omnipotent and benevolent deity.
Lieutenant Chatrand: Exactly.
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: Omnipotent-benevolent simply means that God is all-powerful and well-meaning.
Lieutenant Chatrand: I understand the concept. It’s just… there seems to be a contradiction.
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: Yes. The contradiction is pain. Man’s starvation, war, sickness…
Lieutenant Chatrand: Exactly! Terrible things happen in this world. Human tragedy seems like proof that God could not possibly be both all-powerful and well-meaning. If He loves us and has the power to change our situation, He would prevent our pain, wouldn’t he?
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: Would He? Lieutenant Chatrand: Well… if God Loves us, and He can protect us, He would have to. It seems He is either omnipotent and uncaring, or benevolent and powerless to help.
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: Do you have children?
Lieutenant Chatrand: No, signore.
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: Imagine you had an eight-year-old son… would you love him?
Lieutenant Chatrand: Of course.
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: Would you let him skateboard?
Lieutenant Chatrand: Yeah, I guess. Sure I’d let him skateboard, but I’d tell him to be careful.
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: So as this child’s father, you would give him some basic, good advice and then let him go off and make his own mistakes?
Lieutenant Chatrand: I wouldn’t run behind him and mollycoddle him if that’s what you mean.
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: But what if he fell and skinned his knee?
Lieutenant Chatrand: He would learn to be more careful. Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: So although you have the power to interfere and prevent your child’s pain, you would choose to show you love by letting him learn his own lessons?
Lieutenant Chatrand: Of course. Pain is part of growing up. It’s how we learn.
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: Exactly.
One of my fav parts in that book...
Anyway...This song speaks to me of a man who never found meaning in his life, until the proclained day in the song. I think he's happy that God has helped him, but still really frustrated that God took so long to do it.
Stop inserting your beliefs into others'. This what breeds hatred towards religion. If he believes in a higher power, he believes in a higher power. It does not mean that he's incorrectly referring to God. I'm tired of people pointing out God as the source of human kindness, nullifying the effort of humanity. I believe human kindness springs from humans compassion, or perhaps just their egoistical motifs.
Stop inserting your beliefs into others'. This what breeds hatred towards religion. If he believes in a higher power, he believes in a higher power. It does not mean that he's incorrectly referring to God. I'm tired of people pointing out God as the source of human kindness, nullifying the effort of humanity. I believe human kindness springs from humans compassion, or perhaps just their egoistical motifs.
Yeah, I think I agree with buddha_the_god. I personally am really agnostic, believe in a higher power but I would never be part of religion... of choice, of course. The vast amount of religions out there, the vast amount of possible Gods out there, there's too many for my head! haha If you're religious, then I respect that. It takes a lot. My mother is very Christian and my dad is very atheist, I've had a taste of both worlds :) This is an alright song, anyway!
Yeah, I think I agree with buddha_the_god. I personally am really agnostic, believe in a higher power but I would never be part of religion... of choice, of course. The vast amount of religions out there, the vast amount of possible Gods out there, there's too many for my head! haha If you're religious, then I respect that. It takes a lot. My mother is very Christian and my dad is very atheist, I've had a taste of both worlds :) This is an alright song, anyway!
Yeah, I think I agree with buddha_the_god. I personally am really agnostic, believe in a higher power but I would never be part of religion... of choice, of course. The vast amount of religions out there, the vast amount of possible Gods out there, there's too many for my head! haha If you're religious, then I respect that. It takes a lot. My mother is very Christian and my dad is very atheist, I've had a taste of both worlds :) This is an alright song, anyway!
Yeah, I think I agree with buddha_the_god. I personally am really agnostic, believe in a higher power but I would never be part of religion... of choice, of course. The vast amount of religions out there, the vast amount of possible Gods out there, there's too many for my head! haha If you're religious, then I respect that. It takes a lot. My mother is very Christian and my dad is very atheist, I've had a taste of both worlds :) This is an alright song, anyway!
poolshark...God is considered by Christians as "the man in the sky with a beard watching when we screw up or playing puppeteer." other religions have different titles or names for their respective deities, but God refers to the Christian deity, the father of Jesus, Creator of the universe. According to Christians, man was created in God's image, however, to search for his role in everyday life seems to be getting carried away. If god were merciful and benevolent, would he allow atrocities such as rape, kidnapping, and genocide to exist? Furthermore, if all powerful, why does Satan even exist anymore?...
poolshark...God is considered by Christians as "the man in the sky with a beard watching when we screw up or playing puppeteer." other religions have different titles or names for their respective deities, but God refers to the Christian deity, the father of Jesus, Creator of the universe. According to Christians, man was created in God's image, however, to search for his role in everyday life seems to be getting carried away. If god were merciful and benevolent, would he allow atrocities such as rape, kidnapping, and genocide to exist? Furthermore, if all powerful, why does Satan even exist anymore? If God is all powerful, as Christians believe and as the Bible states, then he should be able to crush Satan. Finally...consider this: more people have died in the name of Jesus Christ than of any other man, idea, or deity...
personally, I love this song. I also believe that your beliefs are your own. If Christianity brings you peace, happiness, hope, and makes you a better person, then by all means, devote yourself to it's dogma. I respect that and realize that it is a path to assurance, and hope...hope that can sometimes be the only driving force behind a person's very existence. I believe that the whole point of this song is simply to show that hope is a gift to treasure. something we have to love and to which we must hold. no matter where you find hope...cherish it, and never let it slip away.
(so i heard this song playing in a hardware store recently and i began to dance a little, even as my soul seemed to echo along =))
(so i heard this song playing in a hardware store recently and i began to dance a little, even as my soul seemed to echo along =))
perhaps God does leave all of us messages and sends letters, and sometimes we heed them, but sometimes we might read them and ignore them, or we might not read them at all because we do not consider them relevant or worthy of our time, energy, and attention, which can be seen as resources entrusted to us by God, so we ought to use them in a way that is most beneficial...
perhaps God does leave all of us messages and sends letters, and sometimes we heed them, but sometimes we might read them and ignore them, or we might not read them at all because we do not consider them relevant or worthy of our time, energy, and attention, which can be seen as resources entrusted to us by God, so we ought to use them in a way that is most beneficial in accordance to His perfect wisdom and will and not what we might think is most beneficial. sometimes we might listen to the messages He leaves us, that can be through a feeling of warning, and read the letters he sends us, that can be His Word and through the people we encounter, and sometimes we forget what His messages and letters said, like we might forget our reflection, as seen in our hearts, when we walk away from a mirror, which can be the holiness of God.
perhaps He does all of these things, leaves us messages and sends us letters, through His Spirit. for as some might believe did not the Spirit inspire the Word of God? and does not the Word of God consist of messages and letters of love including encouragement and wisdom, among other things? also, do not some of us believe that God used people, perhaps similar to how a person uses a writing instrument, not only to write His Word when it was physically written down, but also might He not through the Spirit use us in a similar way, to write on tables of human hearts, with all that we do in love and for the glory of God? so that His glory might be more fully known?
people who say that they love God, a holy and perfect God, and yet do not act wholly in love, are not reflecting His love at all or as fully as they might. as humans, we are tempted to let the desires of the flesh, or our sinful nature control us, which among other things might include hatred. people who might act, perhaps more obviously so, and less obviously so as well, in a hypocritical manner are rebuked many times in the Word of God, such as in Matthew 23:27: 'Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hyprocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean.' (while writing this, i am reminded of how beautiful the language of the Word of God is and how creative among other things)
with regard to hypocrites, people might act hypocritically because they are not submitting wholly to the Spirit of God, and still might let themselves be primarily controlled by the desires of the flesh, or their old self as some might refer to it, even though they claim to be born again in Christ. perhaps being born again in Christ does not mean a person will act perfectly in love for the rest of their lives on this earth. rather, it might mean that we ought to live by faith in the Spirit of God that might lead and counsel us in His holy and perfect ways. this is contrary to living by our own desire or effort in a way that we try futilely to establish a righteousness of our own, instead of relying on the righteousness of God and the Son of God, who some might believe fulfilled the penalty of the law, for the penalty of sin is death by dying on the cross, and not only physically dying on the cross, but by experiencing complete separation from God and His love.
people who profess to believe in God are urged by His Word to walk humbly in love. perhaps in part that means acknowledging before God and man when you have not acted in love and asking for forgiveness, for offending another person or people, and perhaps more importantly for offending the holiness of God, and of the Son of God who died so that if a person believes in the One God sent and the sacrifice He made, that he or she might have His righteousness and be called a son of the living God. in this way, when a person who believes in God sins, if he or she humbles him or herself and repents before God, and things not only about how what they have done has hurt other people, and themselves, but how it has grieved God, he or she might not feel utterly hopeless, for he or she has faith, and hope that in God's eyes, he or she is covered by the blood of Christ, and so therefore, his or her life has been redeemed from slavery to sin, and that when the day of judgement, the Son of God will be his or her advocate and His blood covering him or her will save him or her from being condemned to death for his or her transgressions. and in that we can rejoice.
it might also be that we might be more humble, patient, and loving with people that we might encounter as Christ was humble, patient, and loving when He lived on the earth, and how God, if a perfect and holy God exists, must be patient with us, who use the free will He has given us to sin. i do not know fully why he allows us to sin and grieve one another and Him so deeply. perhaps in part He gives us free will because if we 'have to be perfect' because we have no other choice than to be perfect, then we might be similar to perfectly programmed robots, and though it might seem to be a 'perfect' existence, it perhaps is flawed in some ways. also, perhaps we can appreciate His glory including perhaps His perfect love even more because we who live on this earth are now imperfect, and will become perfect when perfection comes.
then we might return to the question of what His reasoning might be, for if it is said that perfection, as mentioned in a translation of the Word of God, will come, and there will be no grief any longer, and God will live with man, then why not have man experience it from the beginning? Some people might say that man did live in perfection in the beginning, or at least close to it, because sin still have the capacity to exist. And yet, because man was disobedient to God, in order for the law to be fulfilled, or justice to be done, there must be a punishment for their disobedience, so they were evicted from the garden of Eden and no longer did God walk among them. and some time later, Christ came and died for all of man's disobedience to God, and for all of their sins. Christ, who was holy and perfect, was condemned, and suffered the penalty we deserve, so that we might have life, and so that God in all of His glory including His holiness, might be able to live with us because covered by the blood of Christ, we are as holy as He is.
perhaps because some of us know the extent of our transgressions, that we have broken although perhaps indirectly every commandment of God, we are more humble and patient and loving to even those who grieve us. and though we might constantly mourn for them grieving us, we also might acknowledge that perhaps they grieve God, who is holy and perfect, even more. and some of us might believe God has forgiven us much, so that we forgive others much as well and submit to His will so that we might love them the way He and Christ did and does. with regard to what some might consider the commandments of God, one of them is translated as 'thou shalt not murder' without cause, but only God, if He is indeed, holy and perfect, can determine if it is just for a person to be killed. also, it is written that to not do the good one ought to do is sin. so even if we, for instance, did not murder someone without cause, almost 16,000 children die every day of hunger and poverty related causes, that is almost 6,000,000 deaths a year, and approximately one death every five seconds.
in reference to the above, i would like to make it clear that i am not saying that every person is called to help some of these particular children stay alive. though some might feel a special burden on their heart to reach out to these people. for some of us as members of a body, whose head is Christ, are as a body, called to meet the needs of others. in this case, some might feel called to meet this need by, for instance, making a contribution to a reputable charitable organization that might not only help children by providing direct aid for them to survive physically on a daily basis, but also invests in their community, so that together through other opportunities, such as job skills training, the community might thrive as well.
as mentioned, it might be that each person is called to use the resources including talents, time, and money given to him or her to meet the needs of others in various capacities. at the same time, perhaps each one of us is also called by God to love our neighbor as ourselves, which is perhaps where the so-called golden rule of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you comes from. for would we not want someone to reach out to us if we were starving in a physical sense or spiritual sense? perhaps in part because it is by chance, or the grace of God that we are not them, that some of us were not born into a poverty that leads to physical or spiritual starvation, thus ought we not to be concerned for them? and to those who might believe in the One He sent, who also met the physical and spiritual needs of those He encountered, as referred to in 2 Corinthians 7, ought we not to have earnestness, which godly sorrow has produced in us, what eagerness to clear ourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done?
yet, if we do not love our neighbors as ourselves and do not do unto others as as we would have them do unto us, and we thereby, cause the death of our neighbor, are we not responsible in part, or perhaps in whole, and have we not murdered them, though perhaps indirectly, by not doing the good we ought to have done? also, we might be trapped even when we do good deeds if we seek to establish a righteousness of our own. if we say we are good because we do good things every so often, but do not live sacrificially as Christ did, perhaps by only giving what we have that is 'extra' instead of giving to others through the Spirit even if it hurts. and still, even if we do these things, we might not be a cheerful giver, we might be resentful, and we might boast in gifts that we do not give, for the things we give are not completely ours in that they are entrusted to us by God, and it is He who gives to us, or blesses us, so that we might give to others, so that others might be blessed by Him through us. to those who might believe, i hope that you all might remember that you do not belong to yourselves but to one another in Christ. for we are not only one body, whose head is Christ, but we are also called to be one family, and as children of God, we ought to have concern for the members of our family in God as well as those who may not yet believe, or may never believe, for all are our neighbors, whom we are called to love.
if the law of God can be summed up as 'Love your neighbor as yourself' then if we turn a blind eye to this and other social injustices that we are called not to ignore, for Christ did not and God does not ignore them (even though we might think that He does), then we are not obeying God and what is love for God but to obey His commands? (1 John 5) yet, we who say we believe in Christ and God, perhaps are even more responsible, for to whom much is given, much is expected. (apparently, this is found in the Word of God and not just spiderman movies) it is written that we are all made in the image of God; at the same time, those who profess to believe in God and the One He sent, have perhaps an even greater responsibility to love their neighbor because they say they believe. those who are called to be like Christ and God, are called to be God's hands and feet to meet the needs of others including physically and materially among other things.
yet, even those who desire to seek after God's own heart, to love as He does in a holy and perfect love, fall short of His glory. and when we do, He is still there to encourage us, to remind us that nothing can separate us from His love. if you read the Word of God, you might find expressed in it many, if not all of your longings and all of your sorrows. and yet amidst mourning, you might also find cause for rejoicing and a peace that transcends all understanding, rest for your soul that can only be found in Him. for He gives us perhaps the only words that can comfort us in our inmost being, and He also in His word, gives us songs that only a heart who knows Him can sing, and He also in His word, promises that He will live with His people, and He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will no longer be any cause for grief.
there is perhaps cause for grief now, though some people might be able to rejoice in the Lord and His promises as well. the life of a person who believes in God is perhaps characterized as mourning throughout the Word of God, including in Psalms, Job, Ecclesiastes, and Proverbs among others and groaning in Romans 8 among other places, and the man of sorrows, or suffering, that is referred to in Isaiah 53 might indeed be Christ. i used to think that i was 'depressed' because i would often feel a strong sense of sorrow, and in some ways i was indeed afflicted, in part from my heart being far away from God, but by turning more wholly to His word, and by being humbled by what i found including how unfaithful i and mankind is to God, i realized that some of that which i had felt sorrowful about consisted of worldly sorrow, which is perhaps in part how what i and other people have done to hurt or grieve one another, which might produce despair that leads to death, and not godly sorrow, which is how what i and other people might have done to grieve God. for if i, who am not holy and perfect, can feel so grieved, how much more will God, who some might believe is holy and perfect, be grieved?
as mentioned, realizing more clearly how much i have grieved God and continue to grieve God, though perhaps less than before helped me be more humble, patient, and loving. in Psalms, and in other places in the Word of God, David a king, often talks about the arrogant mocking him and insulting him without cause and sometimes seeking his own life, or seeking or murder him. he also talks about being abandoned and betrayed by those who he had trusted. yet perhaps He always praises God, for God remains faithful to him and has not forsaken him and he trusts in His promises, and rejoices in His unfailing love that endures forever. so even though he is afflicted, and is surrounded on all sides by enemies, he does utterly despair, but still rejoices in the Lord and praises His name. (i used to listen to music, searching constantly for songs that could express the feelings i felt, the sorrow, the anguish, and then when i finally quieted myself before God, and i looked in His word as if with new eyes, i found many of the feelings that i had expressed so profoundly in His word, perhaps better than all of the songs i had ever listened to in my life, and also, for those who might believe, the Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express)
perhaps to end, i would like to refer to a verse in Galatians 5, since some of us live by the Spirit, and i wish that all of us would, let us keep in step with the Spirit. let us not become conceited, provoking, or envying each other. and it is perhaps in some ways true, that there are those who do not seem to live by the Spirit, and yet they seem to behave even more honorably than us in some ways. so let us be humble, and exalt others above ourselves, like Christ did when He humbled Himself, and exalted us above Himself, for if we are all made in the image of God, we in some ways bear His likeness. and for those who profess to believe in Christ, i prayerfully hope that as it is written in 2 Corinthians 3 you might show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink, but the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.
and i hope that we might all remember, that above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins, and perhaps a multitude of sins might never have existed, if we had first acted in love.