Just before I left the set today I had a "passionate conversation" with two girls about the difference between Judaism and Christianity. It was rather interesting to converse about such a topic with two women who were dressed in all black clothing, all black make-up, and big black boots as they were both playing characters who were into the "goth" scene. Anyway, we were wrapped before we could come to any sort of satisfying conclusion and with one of the girls protesting that Judaism is way better because it isn't "forced on people" like Christianity is, and that is the only reason why there are so many believers. Neither of the two woman really knew anything about their faith yet they defended it vigorously.
They left no room for the Message of Christ in their hardened hearts and I was left to drive away with quite a bit of anger towards their intolerant, ignorant belief system. However, after 5 minutes or so of dwelling on my misguided anger I found myself deeply saddened, as is the case every time this sort of incident occurs. I realized that if the world ended tonight these two very damaged women (from what I could deduce about their past and current problems) would not be with their Father in Paradise. This is the reason I was so angry. I felt like I knew what was best for them and they wanted nothing to do with it. I felt like an angry parent who gets upset with their child who wont eat their vegetables and thus gain the valuable nutrients needed for their young bodies to grow properly.
I am completely aware of the pride and ego that plays into the mindset of someone who believes they have the ultimate truth. I do not believe in any way that just believing in Christ makes me a better person than anyone else who does not. It makes me blessed, but not better. That said, at the end of the day my heart sinks into sadness when I find people looking for answers in all the wrong places because I just want them to feel the sense of completeness that comes from finding Jesus. I know that's cliché, but o well (I'm starting to get over my fear of clichés slowly but surely). Even more than that, I want no one to suffer the torment of Hell for even one second. It was this thought that lead to me to reflect on how much greater the pain must be for God to look down at His creation and hear them deny His existence day after day and walk into a lifetime of despair. I have no doubt that our God is the God of the lost sheep. He is the Shepard that leaves the flock to go searching for the one that got away. Even if that sheep was stubborn and walked purposefully in the wrong direction, He'd still go after it. I wonder how it feels for Him, the Shepard, to come home empty handed after a draining night of searching tirelessly for His lost love.
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