A lot of people have profound and inspirational things to say. I read and I hear a lot of them. My personal opinion, for those who are truly in need, especially the ones that are not getting help, it's not that easy. Sometimes people say these things to inspire themselves. The world is not candy canes and rainbows. It is very degrading to those who truly are in need and suffering to expect them to hear the words 'Everything is going to be alright,' and in most cases the people saying it walk away.
I am a Christian. But I have seen Christians being guilty of this more than most. Every emotion, good or bad, that we have will better us as long as the bad emotions do not lie in our heart. When I look to the story of Job, there is so much that is missed by people, especially Christians. For the fact that nothing happens out of God's Will, that means good AND bad, then do you just subscribe to "He is letting it happen?" Or "He is causing it to happen" I don't spend my time rebuking Satan. Or evil. Within my humble opinion, that is giving more power to evil. I go to God. With my thanks for blessings as well as my complaints. If you read the bible correctly, which can not be misinterpreted, before He had healed him, God spoke to Job and said, "For all the evil that I have put upon you." Think about that. Look it up if you have to. Don't take my word for it. Though, remember, your word is good enough. Simply, what I am getting at is the fact that the healthy and blessed that have never experienced true suffering (and when I say this you can throw out the "to each their own") really have no idea what they are talking about.
We look to God to provide. But the statement that we are our brother's keeper, in my interpretation, means it's our responsibility as well. Don't stand high on your mountain telling everybody "if you just do this, you'll get this." From my own personal experience and the people that I have seen in true suffering, this does not apply. Yet with the minimal amount of hope and faith they have left, they still have more than the people living on this planet combined. People starving to death. Having a terminal illness. Riddled with sickness and despair. Some for years. Some for decades. Having no medical treatment, no love, no friends, no family. Yet I have heard so many times, 'if your faith was greater..." Well you can fill in the rest. The problem is is that many of the people who have suffered have so much wisdom and faith and love their spirit shines yet no one will ever see it. No one will ever hear it. They have a platform, but have no forum. Many are looked down upon. And my problem is, as I have heard it myself and have experienced it, that Christians will say there is no way this person could be going through this if they were following the Word of God and had true faith. But it is contradicting for many Christians will say it is a test or for a purpose. I am not a man of religion because religion is made of man, for man and from man. I am a man of Christ. I will quote Jesus Christ himself with paraphrasing. Jesus said I will suffer you for you will learn more, well we all know the rest of that bible verse.
I was listening to a tv evangelist a while ago. They were talking about a story about a man who was paralyzed, mute and blind. Jesus told him that if he made it to the nearby water he would be healed. Though confusing, obviously there was a reason for why Jesus said this. It took the man over 30 years. The tv evangelist said, "If I were him I would have wiggled if I had to to get to that water to be healed sooner." What? What I would have liked to have said is,'You have no idea what you are talking about.' It is easy to look from the outside in and say this is what I would do. But it is not easy. And as God being all knowing, obviously there was a specific purpose, as He would have known that it would take the man 30 years. Therefore Jesus would have known, so there must have been something that had to be learned. What I am saying is don't be contradicting within yourself.
I don't use the word trying unless people are using that word to try. To me, that is lukewarm, either do or don't. They are trying to inspire for the simple sake of inspiration. What is inspiring about that? In my life there is only one man that I can relate to and that is Jesus Christ himself. I do not want to go through this anymore. This is torture and it is unreal. In fact it is surreal. But I am expecting my help from God. Yet the Spirit is telling me to help others through God. I know who I am in Christ, I will not waver in that. I know that what I have learned is from God and God alone. But I still had to make a choice. I will not stand here and tell anyone that it is going to be okay. Or that I will pray for them. Nowadays saying that is no different than using the word love. Both must come from the heart and whole heartedly. If we look beyond ourselves, or rather when we look within ourselves, we can see the truth. I do not doubt who I am or what I am here for. I don't understand why I have been given gifts that no man has been given but can not use or apply them. But the Spirit still drives me to do what I am doing. I don't have 3 million Twitter followers or 100 million face book followers. My platform is love through God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. My forum is God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
I don't always speak about God. I believe there's a time and place for everything. You are not lacking in the eyes of God because your every thought and word is not of or about Him. People used to ask me, how can you play your music in bars if you are a Christian. Well, who else is going to plant the seed.
I have also been asked while in a bar drinking soda, "Do you drink?"
I reply "No." Though I have nothing against the responsible drinking of alcohol.
I have been asked, "Do you do drugs?"
I say ,"No."
One individual asked me, "Then how do you have any fun?"
My reply was this, "How do you if you can't remember the so called fun you were having?"
How long do we attend church, meaning for how many years, before we reach out as the bible tells us to, beyond the church? How much do you have to learn before you start teaching? If you don't do this, you are self-serving. Obviously, I'm not saying don't go to church. But the message of reaching out to others gets lost. Do you truly go to church to congregate and praise God when you are listening to one man who is no greater or less than you? What are your reasons for doing what you do? And lastly, Peter said I have learned to be all things to all people. Really take a moment to think about that. And understand what that means. And if you can't, pray for the discernment to understand. There are millions of questions that can be answered through that one sentence. Don't try to be happy. Enjoy life by being full of joy. Laugh. I am very silly to the point where many people think I am weird. But this is what I know. My sense of humor came from God. So when my wife laughs I know God is laughing. Laughing for me actually hurts, meaning physically. My body is beyond repair by man.
I don't need to understand why I am going through this to go through it. Even before I became ill, I was always able to understand other people's sufferings. I have been cooped up in a house for over three years in tremendous pain and sickness. Over a decade ago being told that I have one month to live. To be honest, I'm tired. But I keep pushing. I believe in my healing by God's hand. I don't understand why I haven't been healed yet. I do not expect medical treatment. I do expect healing. Or what the heck am I here for? Why was I given my wife? As if anyone else so young and beautiful would ever not walk away from me. Obviously, she is a sign and an example of a blessing and that there will be healing someday, hopefully soon. She wasn't put here just to be brought down and to lose so much at such a young age. And also I have adopted or rather taken in stray cats. 11 in fact and counting. That each one individually shows me love everyday. These little precious animals have shown me love, joy and the true spirit of the Lord. By the way I love dogs too.
I have not went into details about my illness or rather illnesses. Why not? For many reasons, but I have felt led to say what I have just said. And again that rhymes. I do not want to be bleak or morbid, sometimes I want to come on here and say the silliest goofiest things that come to my mind, but I haven't as of yet, Maybe the reason I don't is because it would be a contradiction to what I have just spoken. What I and many others are going through have reached far beyond the point of seriousness. So in summing all of this up, don't tell someone that everything is going to be okay when you don't know that. And that brings no comfort to them. Yes, someday in heaven it will be, but we're not in heaven yet. We don't know when that time will come.
Actually, there is one funny statement I would like to make, based upon what I had just said. This life and heaven is kind of like high school and graduating. Hence life. You go through school to learn, so you can graduate and move on. Yet, we have no idea what is waiting for us out there. Besides life itself and the hope of what life entails. So we are excited about graduating and moving to the next level, but we are scared, because what if high school is the best that it's ever going to get? We weren't put on this earth to suffer and then go to heaven. That again would be self-serving. What would we be learning that all of us will not eventually learn once we are in paradise? So whether you are the high school football star, or the so called nerd, in heaven we're going to all be the same. We deserve love on this earth.
We should expect everything as the bible says so. When you are healed your youth shall be restored sayeth the Lord. There I go again with the rhymes. What I am saying is to give each other's life meaning on this earth, for and through each other. Jesus died for more than just our sins. And when we are all in heaven together and we are truly loved, maybe we'll understand. We are meant to start the love here. Giving someone your heart does not take away from your own. Giving your time is so precious, but it will add years to your life. Live in joy through love, not in happiness through thought. Discernment is not thinking. It is not fleeting, it is without prejudice and bias, it is eternal.
One last statement, or rather question: When Jesus was on the cross he had said, "Father, why have you forsaken me?" Why do you think he said that? For everything he said and had done is filled with purpose, I believe this, I believe he was truly calling out with confusion and despair, I also believe that it is a perfect example for us. If Jesus Christ can be filled with confusion and doubt, full of pain and despair and cry out to his Father like that, then maybe this is an example to tell us that it is okay for us to do the same. Allowing us to understand, to not pass judgment on others for doing this, or on ourselves for wanting to do this.
~Joshua Jet Vaughan~
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