Above my pay grade

My old girlfriend, Stella, was an agnostic heading to atheist, primarily because she was hung up on the age old question "Why do bad things happen to good people?" Although I have been plagued by other questions the average agnostic asks themselves, for some reason this has never been one.

However, I have a tendency to try to solve other people's questions I don't myself ask. For instance, I found an answer to "What is a Higher Power if you're an atheist?" for someone in Adult Children of Alcoholics. So I asked myself this one and then went to the Bible, because I have found most biblical questions have biblical answers. And I was struck by this:

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him."

John 9:1-3

I usually refer to this answer as "It's above my pay grade."

Now I never did share this with Stella, because I know her answer would have been some combination of "Why is God so vain that He has to show He's God?" or "Why can't He reveal himself without bad things happening?"

My answer would have been that you cannot know good without knowing bad. But she would have had an answer for that, too. I am a firm believer that when someone his bound and determined to believe (or disbelieve) something, you do yourself no favors by getting between them and their object of affection. I could tell that she had already fallen in "love" with being agnostic, so I let it go.

However, I am now reading a book which I think might have been persuasive to her. It's called The Shack and it goes at this question head on. So if my answer isn't enough for you, try the book. I think you'll be glad you did.

Three people

I have had on my mind and heart three people, all of which I believe I have a "mission from God" about that I have had to handle three different ways.

The first is my girlfriend, called Kathy at my other blog and thus here as well. I believe that I am supposed to bring her toward an active spiritual life. I don't think it was coincidence that she came into my life just as her brother was dying and just as I was going on my Emmaus walk. She has had a tenuous odd relationship with religion and so I think God needs someone who will approach it unconventionally. Right now she does not attend church with me unless we go to see a mutual friend sing. This friend is a gospel singer. However this friend does about one Sunday a month that's drivable, so at least she gets some exposure.

The next is a woman I will call Patricia. She is a friend of Kathy's brother. She is an alcoholic and has been surrounded by people who reinforce that in her. Earlier in her life she lost custody of a baby due to her alcoholism and she is in danger of losing her present one for the same way. God has been telling me that I need to get her here, away from her alcoholic environment and where she could be active friends with Kathy. But I don't know how I can reach out to her. I'm barely more than just some guy to her. I am friends with her on Facebook and I guess I'll start there.

The last one is a woman I will call Donna. She is the apparently ex-wife of a man I worked with. I now work with her. He appears to no longer be employed by my company and appears not to be working at all. I have put these pieces together from searching on the Internet. But how do you even get into a discussion so personal as "Are you divorced and what happened to your husband?" And yet I feel that I should. I will pray about it, but unlike Patricia, I have no idea even where to start.

I still think I need to be blinded on the road to Damascus instead of on missions from God, but again, if God can use Saul, I guess he can use me to. Any thoughts about any of this are welcome. Thanks.

The cheese that goes crunch

One part of my journey as an active Christian has been to take part in a program called Kairos, which ministers to inmates. While this has been something on my heart for a long time, it's not something I did anything about because I was what I told the men in Pender Correctional was called a Cheetos Christian. That is someone who does sincerely believe in Jesus Christ and that He is the Son of God, etc. but who "ministers" to people by sitting on the couch watching television and eating Cheetos.

How the walk to Emmaus put me on the road to Damascus is by pretty much forcing me to be an active Christian. I am naturally both shy and introverted, but God wants what He wants, and so He's put things in my path, opportunities for ministry like Kairos, that have forced me off the couch.

This has been difficult for me and I am fighting to get back some of my me time. But I am being an obedient servant and going out into the world and ministering. But at least one positive for me of it is I have orange fingers far less often.