Posts Tagged Truth

Jonathan’s Christian Beginnings

Current mood:calm

Out of nowhere, thoughts come into my head, like a conversation between two people, I think things over in my head, and my ideas and understandings are revised.  Time and time again, as I work through things in my mind, I get these realizations, where I understand something just a little bit better, or something I have been wondering about all of a sudden makes perfect sense.  Just yesterday I was thinking about religion, and how I used to look at it, and how it was the wrong way to look at it.  From my point of view it was passed down to me by family and church as this set of rules, things that I could and could not do.  It also included many things that I had to do if I wanted to be a Christian.  I get the feeling that I am not the only one who had that idea.  Now I have a totally different perspective, and I was thinking about how I had viewed religion in the past, and I realized that was not at all what it was suppose to be.  Now I know it is about having a relationship with God, that is where it begins, that is where it always seems to begin.  Here is a fragment of my thoughts as I jotted them down:

Its not the rules, the rules have nothing to do with it, my perspective changes, my desires change, and I just end up doing what I am impressed is the right thing to do.  It just so happens that the rules are going along with what I am finding is right.  But I have thrown away the rules, walked up to God, and asked him to guide me, that is the only way for me to go.  To throw away these sick twisted dirty rags tainted by man’s hands, and to start over with God.  I do not want a relationship with rules, I want a relationship with God.  Do not let the rules of a given religion or the ways of man taint your view of God, who is perfect and good.

Now I must comment on that, I have held onto many rules, but only the ones where it says in the bible that God gave them to man.  I am not saying that I did not break some of them, because I have, I am far from perfect.  What I am saying is that it is a relationship with God which is the beginning, that is where we need to start.  Following the rules does not come first, they are only a symptom of loving God and developing a relationship with Him.  I do not follow any of these rules because I have to, I choose to follow rules because they are good and right, and I want to follow them.

Also, when I say “I have thrown away the rules”, I am meaning all of the rules put together by various members of the Christian religion that I believe have deviated from God’s good rules and plans he has laid out for us.  I am now moving forward with a sincere interest in searching out God’s plans for us, and the guides he has laid out.  Just as people have done in the bible, I am searching out his decrees and precepts.

, , , , ,

No Comments

Interesting Quote

Current mood:refreshed

Here is a quote I just read from my mother’s office:

“Truth is shunned when it is painful or calls for choices we don’t want to face.  But we must dare to be totally committed to truth.  Mental soundness is the continuous process of facing reality as it is, rather than how we wish it to be.  To have the courage to live life on life’s terms, illusions must be given up.  And who does that without a fight?”

It seems strange that just now at this point in my life, I would find something like that just sitting on the wall.  I am sure it applies to so many other people, but it very directly has application to my current situation.  There are things that I don’t want to hear but are true.  In my mind, I am touching on important ideas but I think my mind recoils because I don’t want things to be that way, so I ignore the truth.  I don’t want to ignore the truth anymore!  I want to hear all the things that I don’t want to know, if that makes any sense.  How can I grow when I can not see the truth?

The saying “the truth hurts” sucks, I hate it, there is so much meaning behind it and to just put it in 3 words makes it into a personal attack.  This is why when talking to friends or people in general, I explain, I make sure they understand what I am saying, the real meaning, and can relate to it in some way, and then I present the horrible few word saying that people use.

I wish people would be more honest, or maybe that’s not the word, be more open.  I have a hard time with people hiding the truth from you, it never does anyone any good.  Do not spare my feelings, mash they into a pulp, if it is the truth, that is the most important thing.  I can handle it.  The truth can hurt both ways, the person telling another person the truth, and the receiver.  But please, know that it is the best thing, be brave, tell them, although you may want to spare their feelings, do not spare them the truth, because in the end, you are keeping them from growing, from making those personal decisions that will make them a better person.  With all severe mental problems aside, telling people the truth is the best thing.

Ok, even though I just laid that out there, I can not say that is best for everyone at all times, in the end though, telling them the truth is the best thing.  And women out there, don’t count on hints, we are guys, we have thick heads, and so many of those hints go unnoticed.  We are different creatures, know and love us for this, but also keep it in mind when it comes to communication, direct is the best.  I am not encouraging guys to leave things unnoticed, or to not pay close attention, because we need to, but you can not ignore the fact that we can not catch on to everything.

I guess what I am saying is, don’t let your fears or feelings keep you from doing what is right, or from telling the truth to those close around you.  Don’t be afraid to hurt them, it is a part of learning from your mistakes.  The pain will pass with time while they make sense of what happened.  They may have questions, and even then, don’t hold back, they just want to know what they did so that they do not do it again in the future, or can make personal choices to better themselves.  Oh, and once again, this is assuming that you are dealing with someone who does not have severe mental problems.

I am done rambling and ranting for now.  I am going to go do some things for me, I need more me time to balance things out.  And people, get some sleep, things become so much more clear after a good night’s rest.

, , , ,

No Comments