...for some sympathy

I know I'm going to sound like a total hypocrite (especially after that last post); but lately it's been getting harder for me to forgive others for the atrocities they've committed.

On Friday, a church in Saginaw was vandalized; and had it not been for the timely arrival of the fire department it probably would have burned to the ground. It turns out that someone deliberately set the church ablaze, and that they also took the time to turn all the crosses upside down (I'm sure you know what that means), sacrifice an animal, and ensure that the pulpit was the first to go up in flames.

The story hit the news not too long ago, and I'm still reeling. Why anyone would do this, why anyone would desecrate a place considered sacred to so many is beyond me. I know this isn't the first time something like this has happened (or the last), but you would think that people would have learned by now.

Although they've suffered a blow, the congregation remains hopeful; and so should we. But please pray that the church will be able to recover and rebuild, and that the people responsible will be caught.

While you're praying for them, why not mention the flood victims in North Texas, the wildfire survivors in Alaska, and, of course, our soldiers fighting in Iraq. Also, there's the train wreck that is my family; if you could pray that we get through the next couple of weeks I'd really appreciate it.

I hate to do this, but this week really sucked. It's bad enough we have men murdering their families and faulty equipment leaving 13 year old girls without any feet to stand on (literally), but now it seems Mother Nature has turned against us (when it's flooding in Texas during the summer you know there's a problem). Is this supposed to be a test of our faith, or punishment for our actions? Either way, God help us.

...for the answers

For the past few months I have been getting mixed messages from my family, my friends, and from certain "authority figures" on how/if I should continue to pursue my relationship with God. Some tell me that I expect too much of myself, of all of us, and that I should back off. Some say that I haven't done enough, and that I should try harder if I'm really want to serve God. Personally, I believe that I'm far from what God expects me to be, and that I need to start getting serious if I want my life and my relationship with Him to change. So why do people, why do other Christians give me such a hard time for attempting to do this? Yes, I know I'm not perfect and that I'll never be perfect no matter what I do; but that shouldn't stop me from trying to do what God's asked. And if it wasn't at least possible to follow God's commandments, then why would He give them to us in the first place?

I'm not talking about giving away everything I own or moving half-way across the world to serve in some third world country (although that is a possibility), I'm simply talking about applying Jesus' teaching to my everyday life. Even more than that, I'm talking about following the Bible word for word, and not just pick and choose what I want to do. I know there are a lot of "grey areas" in the Bible, and in those cases it would be a judgment call; but now people consider every aspect a "grey area" because the world has changed so much since the Bible was first written. But God wouldn't have kept His Word alive or let us live this long if the Bible was in danger of becoming outdated, so doesn't that mean that it's still applicable in this day and age?

If so, then what do we do? I've learned that we're supposed to love each other, and forgive one another no matter what, that we should be more cautious about how we choose to live, and, most of all, that we should continue to rely on God for our every need. But I know a lot of believers who refuse to do this because it's hard or inconvenient for them to fully commit. I know...I used to be one of them; even now there are things I'm hesitant to do but have tried to be more open towards. Why? Because the Bible says to "seek God with all our hearts, all our minds, and all our strength." I'm not saying that if I don't go to church every week or pray every night I'm going to hell; but how can I say I love the Lord if I choose to ignore Him? Besides, isn't it easier to forgive someone who's wronged you than to waste time and energy carrying a grudge, and would it really kill you to put some money in the collection plate?

Or, is it too much? Is it foolish for me to try so hard to keep the Lord's commandments? Am I being too conservative or too strict? When I look over what I just wrote, I realize how insane I sound (I mean...wow, I think I'll erase this before anyone sees what a nut I am); so will someone please tell me what I'm supposed to do. Because, barring any accidents or the apocalypse, it looks like I'm going to be here for a while.