Let Nothing Hold You Back

[An interesting dinner conversation with a dear friend inspired these questions and subsequent late-night searches for answers. I will go ahead and share them with you]

God welcomes all of us into his Kingdom. It is an open invite to all. For reasons both known and unknown to me, however; some people chose to deny God and this invitation. Some people chose to live their life having never known him. This topic opens the door for the argument that some people are never given the chance to know God, they are never made aware of the good news of Jesus. This is a conversation for discussion another time. I specifically am addressing the stumbling blocks which keep people (people made aware of the Bible, God, and Jesus) from choosing to accept the Lord into their hearts. 

Usually (I cannot defend every position or circumstance) such instances arise from a series of misunderstandings-- misunderstandings of the Christian faith, God, the Bible and its contents, etc.. When a person comes to understand the religion, it is almost impossible to deny God’s greatness. When a person comes to properly know God’s love and his pleasing will, loving Him is almost subsequent and impossible not to do. I have deduced this much... Given these circumstances (that a person has at least heard and been able to explore basic understandings about God, Jesus, and the Bible) it is only misunderstandings which could possibly hold them back. And so I ask.... What then are the things that are ever-so-commonly misunderstood? What is it that keeps mildly informed people from intensely falling in love with the God and Jesus of the Bible?

[I have only began to think about all of this in depth tonight... So If I am missing common areas of misunderstanding in this shortly thought out list please kindly inform me as I would love to think them through and address them.]

People commonly miss out on a relationship with God because they cannot come to terms with one or more of these “issues” with Christianity, they stumble:

1. They stumble because of an inability to believe Gospel stories which arise from history long past. They have trouble dedicating their life to this “Jesus” who may or may not have lived some 2000 years ago. They doubt the accuracy of the Bible and its translation, as it has been passed down over many years. Like when kids play the game called “Telephone” the passed down contents MUST be inaccurate and different from the original words or events. Simply put-- they either doubt that the events of the Bible took place at all, or they doubt the accuracy and representation of the modern day Bible some many years later. 
2. They stumble because they believe in God but do not understand why an all powerful and perfect God would ever love such a lost, broken, and sinful person like themselves. They do not understand the basis behind grace, Jesus’s dying on the cross, and the concept of joining imperfection with perfection in a heavenly kingdom. Simply put, they do not feel worthy of being loved by God and therefore do not pursuit God at all. 
3. They stumble because science and the figurative stories of creation do not match up. People may find it difficult to align their own scientific and historical beliefs with the stories of the Bible. Science has the ability to partially (yet somewhat logically) indicate and line-ate our origins. A person who finds comfort in seeking out total understanding and explanations might stumble with Christianity and its seemingly poor explanations of the origins of life. I am talking about Darwin and the origins of the earth versus Genesis. Simply put, to some the Bible and its stories seem too simple and “made up” to ever be real compared to the logic and in depth explanations of science. 
4. They stumble trying to love a God who is “power hungry,  egomaniacal, and constantly begging for our praise”. Believe it or not this makes thousands of people unable to follow the God of the Bible. They fail to see how a God of love and grace could also be so power hungry and egotistical, constantly wanting praise and making the whole universe about Him. One characteristic seems to contradict the other, and people never get passed this “flaw” of God’s which (on the outside) seems to demean our entire purpose and reason for being. Simply put, people refuse to follow a God who’s purpose for us seems to have everything to do with Him, and nothing to do with them. 
5. They misunderstand the reasoning behind all of the many laws and rules of the Bible. They view God and the life of a Christian as limited and unappealing. Simply put, they don’t understand why a God who “loves His people so much” would want to limit their “fun” and give them rule after rule which limit their lives. 
6. They have experienced a great deal of pain in their lives, and wonder “Why would God do this to me/us?” They look at their circumstances, and all of the evil in this world and wonder, “How could an all loving and caring God let this happen to His people?” The argument is that if God TRULY existed and truly cared for his people than he would not let such things happen. Yet, since he does let these things happen (or since they happen at all) then God simply does not care or isn’t out there.

-- I take this stumbling block one step further, undesirable events in one’s life often make a person bitter towards God. Even if they loved God at one point, circumstances have brought them to a point where they hate or have become bitter towards God for what has happened...This last point is the one, in this blog at least, that I specifically seek to address.... 

I hear this common saying all of the time: “God never gives us more than we can handle.” I hear this, and it bothers me greatly, because the basis for this common quote is entirely flawed and unbiblical. That’s right, you won’t find this verse anywhere in the Bible. It is absolutely false.... The Bible does say that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear and that God will always provide a way out. But no where are we promised that life will not ever become unbearable. In fact, stories like Job affirm how utterly hard life can be. I honestly get sick of this “bubbly” Christian idea that life can just be peachy and great when we know God. Knowing God and accepting Him into your heart does not imply an end to suffering or pain. Life is always going to have trials, it is always going to be heart wrenching and hard. Often, we will be faced with more than we can handle. 

To say that God will never give us more than we can handle inadvertently forces us to deduce that God is the reason for all heartache and suffering. This is at odds with the actual God of the Bible and New Testament who’s purpose is to ENTER into our lives and make right that which life has broken. God’s purpose is to comfort us when the results of a broken, free-world directly (and negatively) impact our life. It is in this process that we develop a dependency and love for God-- because he is always there when we need him. HE TOOK IT ALL AND PLACED IT INTO JESUS’S “CUP” WHEN HE DIED ON THE CROSS. God took all of the pain and sin of the world and placed it into the death of his Son in the most wrath filled and horrid death imaginable. In entering into our lives, God took the burden of pain and sin away from us. He gave us a way into his Kingdom despite such instances of trouble in our lives. It is of utter importance to realize that God takes the pain away, yet he is not the author or reason for our heartache-- this broken world, sin, and evil are. We cannot be blaming God for mis-happenings in our lives as if he willed it and directly made it happen. This thought process makes us miss the beauty of grace through the cross. This thought process is flawed, and it cannot hold you back from God!

Here is the final part of this (also the hardest to understand). The fact that God isn’t the cause of evil and pain is a beautiful truth. Because God steps into our lives in order to love us and comfort us WHEN bad things happen, it is in this series of events that we can find our ultimate peace. It is almost a statement from God, as if to say this: “I will have the final say, life and the troubles on earth will not be what is ultimate. I will have the final say, I will make the final impact, and I will have the final word. And my word will be Good.” 

God gives us grace when life is hard and when the events of life seem impossible to bear and impossible to understand. I do not wish to make light of anyone’s circumstances, I simply wish to clear up that God is not the cause of any pain in anyone’s life. He is, actually; the means for comfort and healing. Don’t let pain push you away from God, let it draw you towards Him. My prayer is that people everywhere could get a better understanding of God and the Bible. My prayer is that people could see God for his pure splendor and greatness, allowing nothing to cause them and their potential faith to stumble. If anyone wishes to discuss anything related to doubts in God etc. than I would be absolutely happy (and grateful) to do so. Our God is indescribably loving and good.....

I love you God, the more I begin to seek after you and understand you the more and more I fall so madly in love... I only find reasons to love you more, and never reasons to have feelings of the opposite type. Please let me be a light to this world, let your love reflect through me onto the people I interact with daily. Please let those who stumble in finding you find the answers to their questions, let them get over the doubts and misunderstandings which hold them back from finding you. Let my life be an example and a story which will bring glory to you. I know I will stumble, I know I will disappoint... Yet you love me the same... And I thank you Lord, for your grace and the continued opportunities to declare your goodness to the world.........