My Biggest Problem in Life

Most of my readers know that I tend to think a lot. I want to figure out all that I can in life and at times its much like driving circles in a round about. The plain and simple truth to most of my wonderings has to do with spiritual things. I want to get it right, only "right" has a few shades of gray in it, if you measure it against modern thought, oh old thought too, but right now with the way information is spread so quickly, its all around us.

Here is my truth....If I decide to take the Bible literally, which I believe you should, then I really will live a very old fashioned, peculiar life compared to 99% of the population around me. That is hard, no one wants to be peculiar. If I decide to live with the mindset that "oh the Bible is not all that literal and much of it was written for that time period and blah blah blah", then I can pick and choose and be exactly what is comfortable for me. I don't have to do anything I don't really want to, because I can excuse what I don't like away by saying, "that was then and this is now".

Sort of develop a comfy religious experience. I can look at this religion and that religion and pick what I like from them and say to myself, "well, God is in everything". Pretty soon I am not sure if I am coming or going. Pretty soon, it all seems made of shades of gray.

Now please, this is my thinking, my personal experience so don't think I am trying to push my thinking off on you. Not my intention.

Taking the Bible literally for me, means things like, Ephesians 5:11 "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible".

To me, that sort of rules out lots of television, most of it really and many books. And accepting sin as just another approach to life. Reading the police report would even be out !

Then there is always this one and I hate this one, my own self just hates these verses, rebellion I suppose. Taken as literal, meant for everyone, and thinking about how it was practiced continually until after the pilgrims, it just doesn't fit in with our modern thinking, especially the part about women being under a man. Women carried on this practice in church until the 1950's. It just makes you so different ! Of course I am talking about 1 Cor 11 and the headcovering bit. I have yet to see all men with shaved heads, if covering refers only to the hair.

Frankly, I just would rather excuse these verses as out of date, not for us, etc. So much easier. I did it for years and remember all the looks and questions and comments about "oh how quaint".

But I also remember it was a reminder to me, to think more about my actions and even think about what I was thinking. It kinda kept me in line.

Then I thought about something. Here I have been admiring the brain activity of Buddhist monks, thinking about the better immune systems of devotees of Tai Chi and wow, guess what, those monks with the good brain activity, well think about the lives of these lama's that were tested. Not exactly mainstream. Living in caves or monasteries, no job, no money, no bills, no family, not a care in the world except getting the next meal from generous people, which is not all that hard since everyone wants to do good for a monk. These fella's get to pray all day long and meditate. I suspect if my life was a total life of prayer and meditation on God's wonders, my brain activity would be a bit different than it is today. These fella's dress pretty different too, against the tide of the modern world. The tai chi thing, well if we take time to work hard, physically I mean and live a life of prayer and compassion, I suspect our immune systems would be a lot better. So there is a way, most of us just don't choose it. If I really walked with God, followed the teachings of Jesus, prayed, lived as He taught, not worried about things, not worried about tomorrow, meditated on God's goodness, had real peace in my heart. Felt more love for others, had compassion for the unlovable, etc, then I suspect I would be filled with an unspeakable joy and calmness. The reason there is the saying, "Christians are the only people that shoot their wounded" is simply because we don't live with the mind of Christ ! We simply do not surrender everything ! I sure don't. I don't want to give up the things I enjoy or the things that make me blend in with society. I want to know what people are talking about, and not be naive. I like to be well rounded and yet God really wants us to be single minded after Him. I don't want to look different and stand out. I want to be thought of as thinker. I want to know about the latest theories and philosophies. I want to fit in to some extent. Here it is for me, laid out in a couple words..... I WANT !!! The main part of that.... " I"