Angry and want to Smash Something

This is a letter to the children that I love. You may not even know who you are but you are probably under 50 years old. And some of you are just teen agers. You are my friends on Facebook, my friends from churches and the children of friends.

You are the ones who are fed up with Christianity. You are angry about all the hate and anger, the racism, sexism and injustice. The mass shootings and the reactions on both sides make you crazy in one way or another. The political officials all seem to you to be stupid or immoral or just plain horrible.

You are angry and you want to smash something. You want to yell and scream and you do. You want to curse all that you see that is wrong in the world, in this country, in religion.

I think I understand. I feel the same way. Really, I do. You are frustrated because for all your yelling no one is listening, certainly no one is doing anything.

Please take a moment to look at one lone nun in India who stepped out and fed the poor and dying. She could only help one or two, so that’s what she did. And she kept doing it over and over again until thousands and maybe millions were given dignity and love. Mother Theresa’s heart was broken by the disenfranchised. She and all of the Sisters of Charity together could not end all of the hunger and suffering in the world, but they made a difference to thousands and they continue to do that.

They do not scream and shout and curse the ones who do not help. They just continue to feed the hungry and give love and care to the dying.

Being angry and pointing fingers at the guilty ones, screaming, cursing and marching will not help. I am sorry it just won’t change anything. Maybe you or I cannot make a big difference in the world. Probably we can’t. But we can make a difference by doing the thing that we can to make a bad situation better where we can.

Please my precious friends, the anger and cursing is hurting yourself and not the ones that you are against. Find the way you can help make the situation better and do what you can with all of that energy.

Become the best person you can become! Do as much good as you possibly are able to do.

The Gospel of Peace

Recently I have been hearing a lot about being a peacemaker and about finding ways to share the Gospel message. Often when I see and hear others trying share the Gospel, it seems that it has little to do with peace. It seems to have more to do with convincing others, overwhelming them, to change their mind with clever and irresistible arguments.

I long to be able to share the wonderful good news that I am experiencing as one who has received and is receiving the new life that our Father pours out on those who come to Jesus for a new birth. I regularly see new areas to grow and change to become more like Jesus. This is an exciting life, a wonderful life.

As I look around myself I see people everywhere who are satisfied with seeking earthly pleasures or seem content with a religion that is little more than a get out of Hell card and some good works.

Earthly pleasures are expensive and the toys depreciate faster than you can pay them off. In the end you are left with a shiny trinket that no longer gives you any pleasure but you have to maintain it to get anything out of it. Religion for religion’s sake works the same way, sort of. The longer you work it the more meaningless it becomes and then it is drudgery that you must continue because you don’t want to go to Hell.

Today as I think about the people who are trapped in this labyrinth of despair I think of the Jesus words in Matthew 9:36

But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were distressed and scattered, as sheep not having a shepherd.

I have found a life that is full and rich with joy and peace. I long to share it but it seems no one is interested. In my heart I am reminded of what Jesus is saying in Matthew 5:8

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

I am praying for that pure heart that can see the image of the living God in each individual, so that I can speak to that image, or touch that image in some way and draw them to where they can see a better life; a wonderful life.