Friday, June 1, 2012

Due North


I was looking through my journal and found the following entry:
I am back on the path I left long ago. Though I don't know what caused me to stray in my journey, I can say that the "world" became more to me than God.
When I stepped back on the right path there were no cheers of triumph from within, but rather a solemn knowledge that I had once again detoured from God's plan.
However, that was not the worst of it....You see it was not God's Voice, Word, or even the cold pointing finger from a sermon spoken from the pulpit that brought me back, but rather the simple clear reasoning of a non-believer whose moral compass was fixed to a truer north than was mine.
Though God has never spoken to me in this way before, I know now that it was the best way to get me off the "dime". To know that a soul unsaved was more pure in thought and deed than I, was truly humbling.
This entry was a stark reminder that as a Christian I am as drawn by the world and its "delights" as much as anyone else. I fall like anyone, I bleed like anyone, yet the sins I commit cast a wider berth in the school of opinion than those of my non-believing friends.
The ripples of my minor indiscretions can become a tsunami in the face of others looking towards me as an example of Christian faith.
How many times have I casually lifted up this "world" with that wink and nod to my "carnal" nature, only to find someone looking at me, weighing what I have just done, with the professions of faith I have given?
You might say, "Oh don't be so hard on yourself," or "You are taking this all way too seriously," but in the end, I fear it is just this type of attitude that made me jog to the east or west when my path should have always been "Due North."
It is not an easy task that we Christians are called to, so for those faint in heart, or indecisive in faith, it may be better to step back and make sure this is truly the road you want to travel.
As for me, though I know its weight, as well as its end, I have chosen to pick up the cross of Christ once again. Its burden is only heavy when I try to carry it alone.

2 comments:

Joyce Anderson said...

Karl Barth said: "To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an upraising against the disorder of the world"...and the disorder in our hearts. These are your prayers and the prayers of others for you during your journey. God says: "I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live." Deut 30:19. PTL

Unknown said...

You have friends to help you carry the load. While we all may not be all following the same path, it is important to realize that our paths may, for a time, run parallel. Remember also that one can believe in Christian ideals without, in fact, being a Christian.

You are not alone.