My posts have been rather nonexistent lately and I apologize to those of you who eagerly await that email offering another way to waste a couple of minutes during the work day. J As I promise to hop back to the life of writing shortly, I wanted to post a quick quote that I read last night in The Ragamuffin Gospel. I fell in love with this quote mostly because people can relate to the idea of being accepted and tend to spend most of their lives seeking it. But, to be able to fully grasp the idea of an eternal acceptance and to experience grace at all cost, I figured it was definitely something worth mentioning!
“Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlessness. It strikes us when we walk through the dark valley of a meaningless and empty life…It strikes us when, year after year, the longed-for perfection does not appear, when the old compulsions reign within us as they have for decades, when despair destroys all joy and courage. Sometimes at that moment a wave of light breaks into our darkness, and it is as though a voice were saying:
‘You are accepted. You are accepted, accepted by that which is greater than you, and the name of which you do not know. Do not ask for the name now; perhaps you will find it later. Do not try to do anything now; perhaps later you will do much. Do not seek for anything, do not perform anything, do not intend anything. Simply accept the fact that you are accepted.’
If that happens to us, we experience grace.”
-Paul Tillich
Categories: Books Amy's Reading
While attending a university in London years ago, one young man became interested in the Christian faith. Upon his graduation, he was almost convinced but was still seeking evidence that this faith was practical and true. He accepted employment in East Africa and for seven months lived in the home of a Christian family. As soon as he discovered they were followers of Christ, he decided their home would be the ideal testing ground for the evidence he sought. Unfortunately, as the months passed, he saw nothing that attracted him. The family was apathetic toward him and their faith. They didn’t reach out to him or to others, and they were casual about their commitments in general. In fact, they complained about any sacrifices they had to make on behalf of others. They never connected with him. Consequently, this student’s interest in God turned to disappointment. He left his pursuit of Christ and went a different direction, moving back home to India. He eventually led a revolution. This young man’s name was Mahatma Gandhi.
The Art of Connecting with Others ~Dr. Tim Elmore
Wow, so how do you feel about that? I know many people don’t remember all that Gandhi was involved in, but in his lifetime he was a very influential person. He was a part of a revolution in India to alleviate poverty, liberate woman, and join together religions and ethnicities. He believed in the self-sufficiency of a nation, but believed mainly in the independence of India from foreign domination. In religious aspects, he followed the Hindu philosophy. He believed all religions to be equal, which was essentially his downfall. In believing in the equality of religions, it prevented any conversion to another faith. In the end, he claimed that he was Hindu, yet Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and a Jew. If none could offer perfection, then what made one the inspired word of God and not the other?
Man, to think of what he could have done through Christ…His passion, charisma, leadership abilities…all lost in a cause for truth, evidence, equality and social reform. To think that you could have been that family that initiated the mindset of disappointment, because you lived your life in such a way that others could not see God in you…or could not feel God from you. It’s essentially not about you being perfect or you always doing the right thing, but rather about the way you make people feel and the way you represent our God. Gandhi said one thing that has stuck with me for a while; he said “At the core of every religion is truth and love.”
Can people see your love?
Categories: Books Amy's Reading
Tagged: Ghandi, Love, ministry
