I've actually come to realize that we all need the grace of God. My friend Shana told me the story of her father abandoning her mother only to begin an affair with her mother's best friend. Some of us reading this have already put our "judgemental hats" on and are wagging a stern finger at Shana's father. When she recited the story to me, I asked her one question. "Did your father ever apologise to your mother?". Guess what? Her father never once said he was sorry, in fact he thought what he did was acceptable and he had no regrets.
As a law student or even going to the University of Sussex (which is extremely liberal) we all cry out for FREEDOM and JUSTICE. If a little girl is raped by her step-dad and her young body is chopped into pieces, we accept justice to be done. But sometimes the father gets off scott free. How do we explain this? Why aren't people being punished for such shamelessness?
Speaking to a lot of aethists and non-believers this week I found that a lot of people have an issue with the whole concept of God allowing suffering and the wicked prospering. It's because God has put in our heart a desire for justice and righteousness. I am not going to get onto the topic of suffering right now...that will be a later blog. However, after talking to Shana and about what she had been through she told me something profound. She said "Chizor let's face it, the world is a pretty crap place. Chizor life isn't going to be blissful. Justice won't always be done. You (speaking hypothetically) may get married to someone who is stuck in internet pornography or worse still is an adulteror and an abuser- life is just crap. But you are going to have make room for GRACE."
I began to think of all the horrible stuff I do against Jesus. If he punished me and gave me what I deserved for every sin- I believe I would have been dead. Yet the Saviour King makes room for grace.
I believe we all could learn a lesson here. It's not about letting people get away with things but...I think it's just acknowledging the fragility of humans.
People are going to do things which are unexplainable. The saying goes like this: hurting people hurt other people. I was always a strong believer of the idea that "If you hurt me be prepared to get what's coming to you" or "Apologise...right NOW!" Imagine if God had that attitude towards us. Where would I be? Where would YOU be? Let's look at reality : Life isn't always fair to us.
To be frank, last night I asked God "When will all this pain end because I am getting weary?" My question was speaking out of my circumstances. I wanted circumstances in my life to change in order to be happy. I wanted to find my happiness in situations. The bible says in Psalm 42 :Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope [confidence] in God, for I will yet praise him...
What we need is not so much a change of story but rather the grace to walk the chapter out. Hehehe...that was pretty deep right there. As God gave us grace let us be gracious to others.
That's all I really could share tonight. I wanted to write more but couldn't.
Night!
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