Misunderstanding Jesus in Action

Dude, your killing yourself. In a way you are right when you think that you are alone in a world full of people that don’t understand you but in another way you are right along side them with your beliefs. Will you ever see that it is you who doesn’t understand?

Earlier this week…
“Music is one of my passions,” he said.
“Oh yeah? I love music too,” I replied. “I hope to take a music minor at Purdue.”
“We may have more in common than you think. What kind of music do you listen too?” my co-worker asked me.
I thought as we moved on to the next dorm room where we started to clean the windows.
“I like pretty much anything that is morally correct and shows talent.”
My friend smiled. “I think we might have more in common than you think,” he said for the second time. “I’m actually a man of principles. I may do some things that society doesn’t think is right. But I am a man of principles.”
I wondered what he was trying to say and where he was going with this. He knows that I’m a devout Christian. He must have been trying to tell me that he thinks we have similar believes and values.
“I have a list of the top four priorities for my life,” he continued. “First on my list is the will of God. After that comes money. Then comes music and women.”
We finished up the windows and moved on to the next room.
“I also have a list of things I would never do.” Little by little my friend seemed to be offering himself as an open book. “First of all, I would never do drugs. Second of all, I never break the law. And finally I would never drink alcohol.”
“And why don’t you drink alcohol?” I was trying to gear the conversation toward some epistemology.
“Another thing I never do is talk about alcohol at work.”
Awkward silence.
“What did you study in college?” I asked.
“Philosophy.”
“Really? So if you studied philosophy then you should know all about epistemology.”
He hesitated. “Maybe a little.”
“What would you say is your source of truth that tells you what to do and what not to do?”
Long silence.
“There is an inner person inside me. This person tells me what I should do and what I shouldn’t do. And I have to obey it 100% if I want to be happy.”
I felt very curious. “How did you find out about this person?”
Another long silence.
“I’m a very spiritual person. I’m very passionate about Catholicism.”
I asked, “But if you are very passionate about religion then why don’t you want to discuss it? I‘m also very passionate and extremely interested in religion. But my passion drives me to want to discuss it.”
“Well, I guess my passion drives me to live my religion and not discuss it.”
I nodded. “That’s good that you focus on acting on it. But do you not want to share spiritual truths that you’ve learned with others?”
Another pause.
Then he looked at me. “I’m sensitive.”
“Sensitive?”
“Yes. I take these things personally. And that doesn’t mean I’m gay. This is 2006. A guy can be straight and sensitive at the same time, can’t he?”
“I guess.” Then I replied, “I think I understand what you mean. Religion is personal. It’s a big part of our personal life and affects us personally. So when someone has a different religious opinion than you, you take it personally.”
He smiled. “You’re exactly right!”
I continued, “Yeah, I’ve had that same kind of problem too. Sometimes I take a religious objection personally and it’s not exactly a good thing. It’s something I’ve had to work on and change.”
Later that day, out of the blue, he seemed to add on the conversation by saying, “I don’t make changes in my life until it hurts enough that I have no choice. I don’t want to make life more hard on me than it already is.”
I looked at him. “Are you sure that’s not making it harder? What if you save yourself from this serious pain by changing before it‘s too late?”
He shook his head. “I can’t do that. I have to wait for the pain to give me no choice. That’s just how it works for me.”

Does the decision to either accept truth or reject it have to be so burdensome? It sounds like my friend wants his freewill to go away. I can only pray that my questions have made him think. I tried to meet him where he was and understand his thinking and feelings. I tried to show him that he hadn’t thought through it near enough. But I can’t convince him to change. I’m just a young teenage Christian that continually falls and fails to make the right choice and change time and time again. Everything I did means nothing. All that matters is if the Holy Spirit pierces his calloused heart. All that I can do pray that someday he will get to the point to where he can accept the truth.

Dear friend! Let the signs lead you to the person who can heal those scars of yours and dry those tears of yours for good!