Transparency

Blog post numero uno. Such pressure. Being that this isn't my first blog, I know just what will happen between the time I click 'submit' and the next time I find enough to talk about to justify another post. It's got to be similar to the first song a person ever completes. All of life's experience until that point being pushed into one set of verse/chorus formatting. Lots of pressure to get the whole point across..

Alright, enough procrastination. Here goes.

Ok, so..background. I grew up Catholic. Like a lot of people, I was baptized as an infant, took communion in 2nd grade, and went to church on some Sundays and most holidays. Heck, I was even a part of youth leadership and a 'Christian' band. I saw a boatload of hypocrisy through most of my early years which left little room for an accurate view of God. Ultimately, I decided I wanted nothing to do with God or the church at age 20. I spent a solid three years raging against the god I had compiled based on people who claim him. I thought if that's what Christianity looks like, I don't want to take any part in that(I'd at least admit I was living carelessly and not use religion as an insurance policy..somehow that seemed more righteous in my mind). A little more than a year ago, I began(at least, visibly) a wild journey that will arguably last my entire life. All of the experiences of my life, though short it have been to this point, coming down to a monumental question: Where will you spend eternity?

Back up.

I'm not sure I could explain all the routes through which I arrived at this question being posed at the perfect time, but I can say for certain what gave it a rhyme and reason. A co-worker at the time shared Acts 17:26-28 "From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'"

After having spent three years not caring, I had begun to examine just how I ended up exactly where I was, surrounded by the combination of people, and the context of all words being spoken around me. It began to go from hazy and confusing to quite clear. God had been working out a plan all the while. Using all the experiences I'd had for better or worse, for His kingdom. Now, I'm not going to dive into some wild debate on whether each step/thought/action was predestined to get me where I was, but I could for sure see God(mind you, the one I had 'not believed in' for three or so years) orchestrating something with a greater cause. The Bible, which in my mind was archaic and loosely accurate, had begun to demonstrate it's accuracy in a new way. Hebrews4:12 states For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

I had come to a point of growing transparency where I could no longer deny the lives of the people around me living for the Lord. A couple of people that were pretty close to me had gotten saved to which I responded "investigate your beliefs" assuming they would, find the same hypocrisy I did, and return to hanging with me. Well, they didn't. They kept digging and found that the Bible is indeed God breathed and that Jesus Christ is exactly who he claimed to be. They were not, in fact, living by the blind faith I had seen so commonly growing up.

Alright. So, I'm a long winded type. My apologies.

The reason I even embarked on this whole thing is to bring a point into perspective. (cutting to the chase)
God is moving. Whether we live the rest of our lives hard of heart or in denial, there is a day coming where we all have to face the question I began to face about a year ago, Where will you spend eternity?. I'm not here to smash anyone, or to execute some well orchestrated theological attack to get people to follow Christ. I am simply here to open up about the way in which God reached me at a time where most considered me unreachable. I've heard many responses to the question of eternity. Hurt, distrust, anger, resentment, pride, apathy, complacency, and rebellion. I'm sure there are more. Regardless, it's of utmost importance that you don't leave the question of eternity unanswered. 1 Peter 4:5-6 states "But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit."

It is so important to ask the question of where we stand with God. Have you been made right with Him? If you are reading this and think this all sounds foolish, investigate it. If you are a believer and are struggling with God or with your faith, seek out those who know the Lord and can build you up. If you hate God with your whole heart, ask yourself why. Ask a Christian why they believe the way they do. Work through the tough stuff and seek out the truth about who God is. It is arguably the most influential decision I've ever faced. The same goes for everyone. The question is, when is the right time to answer it? How much time do we really have?