What I completely understand is that general statements are unfair. Not all non-religious people mock others. Not all religious people are mocked, possibly because not all professed Christians, Muslims or Jews are firm in the faith they claim and simply walk under the umbrella of religion given to them by their parents.
I get it. I understand.
Who I'm talking about is the individual who judges a person of faith based on his or her need to prove their opinion correct and the other person's religion as ridiculous. All the while they preach tolerance and at the same time tolerance is the last thing in their heart.
Obviously, the person judging missed the point.
This also leads me to a recent review I read about the book we're reading together. The reader was disappointed and annoyed and wrote somewhat negative commentary. Of course it's a matter of opinion.
Yes, I get it. Yes, I understand.
The reader's disappointment was because she felt the author was supposed to teach "new" things and really give an in depth answer to all the questions. In reality this small, concise, easy to read book, is simply a tool. The author never really answers the questions for you. He invites you to dig, open your mind to possibilities, formulate your own questions...and seek answers.
Obviously, the person writing the review missed the point.
What I find myself understanding is that when an individual mocks your point of view or disagrees with the way you went about completely a project, it's because THEY would have done it differently or THEY can't see your point and THEY want you to think, feel, talk, walk and live the way THEY do.
Really?
From David Jeremiah's book, Why the Nativity?
Question #20 - Why Didn't Jesus Have a Royal Birth?
I could quote many things but what I felt spoke to my heart best was this:
"...God's ways often run counter to our expectations. Jesus didn't arrive in the manner of a king for several reasons, the most important of which is simply that he came to turn the world and its values upside down. The conventional wisdom of our world is that kings rule the rest of us from ivory towers. They set up a hierarchy that ranges from the most powerful to the least. Jesus came to make a shocking statement: that true greatness is found not in ruling but in serving."Jesus lived and breathed and walked this earth. Many peoples revere him or at the very least have an enormous respect for him. But what I also see is that many others mock Him, curse Him, laugh at His followers.
Why? Because they refuse to believe (like the Roman guards who laughed at Jesus) that the "greatest King of all was the one capable of stooping to the lowest level and lifting each of his children toward heaven."
How do we mock Jesus today? Maybe that is a question we all need to ask.
Try not to miss the point so you too can say,
"I get it. I understand."
Get the book. It won't give you all the answers but it will certainly lead you into discovering all your heart wants to hear.
Why the Nativity?
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