September 16, 2007 - Sunday
The Other Side of the Mountain
Current mood: discontent

Lately I have been thinking a lot about how we progress in life. It seems like we work so hard to climb mountains - and most of the time, we succeed. But what happens on the other side of the mountain?
Church was the first thing that came to mind. The United States of America is obviously a blessed nation. And once you do any kind of international travel, you can immediately notice the impact America has made on other countries. In the way of missions, the world has literally been entirely blessed because of decades of dedicated American missionaries. And now that there is a church on ever corner in the US, now that every church has reached their "quota" of 5 missionaries they "support," now that the majority of Americans consider themselves "Christians," what happens? Did we fail to realize that we scaled a mountain and are now on the other side of the peak?
It seems to me that being a "Christian" or going to church (or whatever you call it) has become cultural. We do it because everybody does it. We do it because it is expected. We do it because we are raised to know that that is right and good and shows some sort of respectability. We are coasting now that the "big job" is done.
But is the "faith" still really there? Or are there just chairs and pews full of people spiritually side-tracked by work, family, money and success?
I have noticed, not only in Brazil, that people in other countries - especially 3rd world countries (not all, but quite a few) seem to go to church, or are "believers" because they have to be...they need to be. Not because it is expected, or cultural, or right and good, but because they have a soul-filled desire to draw near to their Creator. And the peak of the mountain is irrelevant....they will continue to live out their faith in daily actions because they have a real, true relationship with the Almighty. If they are scaling a mountain or relaxing in the valley, their faith remains evident and consistent - not complacent.
I've gotten all those silly emails - "If you LOVE GOD, then you will send this on to 10 other people," "If you are not ashamed, you will forward this to all your friends no matter what they think," "If you are truly my friend, you will email this back to me"......HUH????...If you don't know who I am and what I believe by my lifestyle, how is an email gonna change that? And if GOD doesn't know, well....there's the problem.
Ok, truth...............you know what really bothers me? What really erks the essence of my soul?.....A lot of people I know who are TRUE believers, who truly want to do what is right and have a firm relationship with GOD - these wonderful GODLY people ACTUALLY BELIEVE that everyone (or almost everyone) they see in their church on Sunday is there for the same reason they are. They believe someone who calls themself a "Christian" without a second thought. They don't stop to think that many Americans relied on their ancestors who have scaled over the evangelistic mountaintop, and now they are just sailing; coasting through life.
We have all these great stories of spiritual heroes of our faith who made the United States known for belief in the ONE TRUE AND LIVING GOD in three persons. Yet the majority of our population have not met Him....do NOT know Him.....think that being a believer is being good and going to church. You can tell...."by their fruits".....if you just look at their lives, the way they talk, where they put their faith when things are tough...it becomes as obvious as noontime sunlight.
Oh, the small group of faithful who will gather together on the other side of the mountaintop....the other side of the river. I shudder to think who will NOT be there.
And, *deep sigh*, am I doing my part so that those I know, whether they claim to be believers or not, will be there with me?