patrick jane forums

I struggle with others casting dispersion on anyone's belief especially at a time of grief.  That was not taught in Chaplains school, in seminary or any other place.  We were taught that in times of grief and stress it is God's love and embrace that is needed, addressing anything in a corrective nature is a CONVERSATION  (not an accusation) for another time once you help them through that time.  So color me shocked and appalled even if it worked out.   It was and still is people like him that drove me away and causes me great distress now.

All that said the just of what you said I find some I am not in agreement with as I am not fully understanding.  The foundation of what you say, I find make sense.  My issues has always been we as people of God have found various ways to get wrapped up in the  details and to argue, disagree or in some way to come to a conclusion that the way we learned is the "Only" way to salvation, to God's grace to have proper faith.  That is not what Jesus was about and all of us who have taken the journey to learn and understand his teachings.

Like I had said, it seems we all have chosen a position of what we believe God wants us to do for Salvation and most believe they have it right.   So times I wonder if the true Salvation is that we find a way to seek Salvation in his Glory and in his holiness and the rest is just static noise.  Just a thought and only that.

Thank you lori for answering and you have provided me with things to think on and to look into.

I find myself smiling in agreement throughout your response.  to that point, let me share how I came to Christ.

At about six years old, my life was so out of control that I knew I would never make it if something or someone didn't step in.  One night as I was "dreaming" of never waking up or if I did wake up, my family would be gone, I came to the conclusion that there had to be a creator since this world couldn't just happen.  If there was a creator, He/She/They/It would not create something greater than He is and if nothing is greater, then all I needed in order to survive was to become one with the creator whomever that was....that night I prayed to a God I didn't know, that if I was right, would He/She/It become so much a part of me that it was impossible to tell where He began and I ended.  From that point on, God started teaching me about Him and my need to reconcile with Him (I didn't even know there was such a thing as sin at the time) etc.

Some years later I was sewing when my sister came in and laid on my back.  I asked her to move and she refused.   I told her to move and she refused.  I took hold of her arms and set her off me.  She went running to my father crying that I scratched her and showed him an old wound that was healing.  My father went nuts and took his belt and beat me for scratching my sister (which I did not do).  But you see, that day, the belt never touched me.  There was no sting from it's contact nor welts from it hitting me.  That day, Christ literally stood between me and the belt that was directed at me.  It was then that I took time to look back and though my situation hadn't changed, God was working in my life and took a kid that shouldn't have made it and caused her to thrive. 

So...all that to say, that you are right, a lot of it is about our experiences.  My experience tells me that
Jeremiah 29:13
King James Version
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
is true and the details He will work out so just trust Him