Even though it's not something I try to hide, I should state that I am a Christian.
I was born into a Christian family, I was surrounded by other Christian families as I grew up on the mission field, I have only gone to Christian schools -- including the college I go to now -- and all of my close friends are Christians.
I first prayed to accept Christ in my heart when I was seven years old, but I didn't start taking that commitment seriously until I was in high school.
If you scroll down this article to see my cute face and witty little tagline, then I reference my family's designated verse, Joshua 1:9 which says,
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
Lately, it's been difficult to take this verse to heart like I say in my tagline. I can't help but feel frightened and dismayed when there seems to be no respite between things going wrong. It feels like we're stuck in a perpetual cycle of violence, death and mourning.
No matter how strong my foundation is, it's always in times likes these that my faith is lacking because pain and doubt start to overshadow everything.
Even though I'm known among my friends as being level-headed and practical, it's a constant struggle to not give in to jadedness and cynicism. No matter how hard I try to be optimistic and to pray for God's healing and deliverance, the worst-case scenario is always in the back of my mind.
Worst-case scenarios do happen though. They've always happened and honestly, we only have ourselves to blame.
Early theologian Saint Athanasius of Alexandria discusses in his text "On the Incarnation" how humans became corrupt and fell away from God, saying section five:
"Indeed, [humans] had in their sinning surpassed all limits; for, having invented wickedness in the beginning and so involved themselves in death and corruption, they had gone on gradually from bad to worse, not stopping at any one kind of evil, but continually, as with insatiable appetite, devising new kinds of sins. Adulteries and thefts were everywhere, murder and rapine filled the earth, law was disregarded in corruption and injustice, all kinds of iniquities were perpetrated by all, both singly and in common. Cities were warring with cities, nations were rising against nations, and the whole earth was rent with factions and battles, while each strove to outdo the other in wickedness."
Obviously, evil and wickedness still run rampant in the world, but that doesn't mean that we should give up and despair.
As Christians, we need to constantly remind ourselves that even though God is beyond anything we can ever imagine, He still cares about us as individuals; our day-to-day lives, our joy and yes, even our suffering. While it feels cliche to say, Jesus' crucifixion extends to the past, present and future, meaning that He not only suffered for us, but that He also suffers with us now and later.
Personally knowing that God is not only aware of our pain, but also shares it, is beyond comforting. It lets me know that no matter what, He'll always be with me and that no matter how messed up the world is, He does and will continue to make good things come from it both big and small.
It seems fitting to end on a good quote. The Heidelberg Catechism is a 16th century confessional document written as a series of questions and answers to provide a basic theological foundation for new Christians. The 28th question and answer goes:
"Q. What does it benefit us to know
that God has created all things
and still upholds them by his providence?
A. We can be patient in adversity,
thankful in prosperity,
and with a view to the future
we can have a firm confidence
in our faithful God and Father
that no creature shall separate us
from his love;
for all creatures are so completely in his hand
that without his will
they cannot so much as move."
