There are a lot of things that used to scare me. When I was very young I stepped on a hornet nest, so bees scared me for years. I used to dream of Cookie Monster chasing me around the house. (I’m sure glad there was no Tickle Me Cookie Monster doll!) But those things are in the past.
When I first started posting these messages I was trying to hammer out in my own mind what it was I believed. They kind of morphed into something more like lessons on what Christianity is, and how people (myself included) fall short of the ideal.
One day it struck me that those who teach are to be held to a higher standard. And to American society, it’s like a game of Whack-a-Mole. A Christian pokes his or her head up too high, and WHACK!
I’m not too concerned about getting slammed by people. Christians shouldn’t be afraid of even getting killed. But God judging us more strictly . . . that’s a different story.
To that end I curb my tongue more than I used to. Jokes I used to think were funny are not voiced. For me, that’s the really hard part! Those who know me know I love telling a funny joke.
To be truthful, if there’s anything that scares me it’s God telling me, “I never knew you.” I may have mentioned that before. But the Bible also warns us to not store up treasures for ourselves.
I love learning new things. When I first started digging deeper into scripture, it was all about me. When I spoke of the things I’d learned it was still about me. “Look at the neat things I know!” But the more you know, the more you’re expected to do with it.
So the stories I write, the messages I post, and pretty much everything I do, I’m expected to do for the glory of God. That’s what the Bible teaches.
There’s a story about the disciples asking Jesus about a blind guy. Back then people believed that God punished people (in this world) for sin - even for the sins of their parents or grandparents. So the disciples asked who sinned for this guy to be blind? Was it his folks, or something the guy himself did? The answer is indicative of how we should live.
The fact is, God blesses everyone. Sun and rain happen to everyone, regardless of your relationship with God. If good things only happened to the righteous, wouldn’t people worship Him just to get the toys? Imagine that!
Back before I even met my wife I wanted to find someone to spend my life with who wasn’t in it for the fame I expected from my writing career. (I guess I don’t have to worry about the “fame” part! LOL) And the book of Job deals with that subject, too.
When Satan is visiting Heaven one day, God says, “Hey, look at Job! What a great guy.” Satan’s response: “He only worships you for the benefits!”
In short, Satan is saying worshiping God is like an employer/employee relationship. Take away the salary and benefits package and who in their right mind would follow Him?
The true worshiper of God does that because God Himself is worthy. That we get toys and baubles is (or should be) secondary.
But I digress.
The real fear I have is that I’m mouthing platitudes I don’t believe deep inside. One of the benefits I see in the COVID-19 situation was me losing my job. After 28 years with the same company, I was cut loose. Did I curse God like Job’s wife suggested? No. Not even after eight weeks without a job.
I stuck with Him, and He gave me another job. Which I lost after four weeks. Another two weeks of unemployment before I got a third job this year. Something else to keep in mind was the backup in the unemployment system. I didn’t see a dime of unemployment benefits until August - four months after my initial claim.
So while I may be worried about my reception in Heaven at the end of my race, I tend to think it’s a healthy fear. I’m not storing up my knowledge in a barn, I’m sharing what I’ve learned.
Something else I’d like to caution teachers about:
Luke Skywalker said, “I’m not afraid.”
Yoda replied, “You will be.”
