So why was my heart saddened? I watched as CT talked about his struggle with God. How he started to believe that there was more than one way. That there were many different paths that all lead to the same place in the end. I saw how he struggled with how a loving God could stand by and watch as innocent people were killed by the Nazis. Graham reminded him "God didn't do this. Man did." But Graham's words didn't do him any good. I watched as he stepped down as pastor of his church because he could no longer lead them in something he no longer believed in.
I cried. I mean I cried hard. I didn't just cry because of CT, but I cried because I know so many people like this. They once knew the one true loving God in a very personal way. They loved Him with so much passion that I looked up to them. Then one day it was like they gave up on it all. It's almost like they never believed or never knew Him. I wonder what we can do to help people like this. Sometimes it can be so hard. I watched as CT came up to Graham after they hadn't seen each other for a long time. Graham was excited to see him, but all CT could do was rebuke Graham for still believing. He told him to give up on it all. It was all foolishness and there was no need to believe. He was basically telling him to give up on God. Graham was shaken. But I remember what he said after CT had just stepped down as pastor. He said "Chuck is still a friend. We will not leave him and forget about him. It's important that we pray for him."
Now this makes me think a ton about what can be done. How can we help these people? How can we bring them back to God? But I start to wonder should our question really be...What can we do to prevent them from turning away from God? Should we be more aware of people who are having a crisis of faith? I have my own answers to these questions. But I wonder what other people think. So if you have any thoughts please leave them. I will be writing more posts on the subject later on.
Hi! Well I decided to comment on this because it is sort of my story with a much better ending. I was going to a great church. I loved it, I helped with Sunday school, and the nursery, was on the worship team, whenever they needed someone and I was available I was there. I felt God on a very deep level. I knew God, I felt him. I laid hands on the sick and with God's power they were healed. I spoke in other toungues. And I threw it all away because of what some "friends" said to me when I made some bad choices. I left the church, stopped reading my bible, even went through a period where I didn't even believe God loved his childern. I saw people dying all around me and there was no hope.
ReplyDeleteI started going back to church off and on for a few months, maybe went 4 times in like 3 months before my brother passed away. I felt God calling me back, I was misarble in my life. I was stuck in a bad relanship (sorry I cant spell) Well when my brother passed away I did become very angry at God, I didn't understand how God could take him from me. I didn't think I could ever go on with my life, as we know though life does go on. I moved away from Atlantic to Estherville to be a bit closer to my family, and started talking to a old friend that used to go to my old church, and my thrist for God slowly came back to me. I ended up calling Calvery and talked to a girl (I now have grown to love her, she is amazing) and went to church that next Sunday, and am working on getting my life straightened out. I am not perfect, far from it actually, but no human is perfect.
Kay I am actually off of my point my point is, as christian's we need to judge less, and love more. I didn't feel love from my friend's which drove me further and further away from God. I know now, they were trying to bring me closer to God, but they didnt go about it the right way. If I had felt love and support instead of angry, and like an outcast things might have ended up different!