Part Two (to read Part One, click here)
Having “my own religion” was a bit of a bust. But I pressed on, determined like Adam and Eve to discern good and evil for myself. I was currently pondering the Eightfold Path of Enlightenment, a rigorous rule of life only Buddhist nuns and monks seem to follow fully. I was proud of my ability to comprehend esoteric concepts, and yet…
I kept thinking about that need for a Father. Then one night, while skimming TV channels, I stumbled upon (or was led to) a hopelessly corny religious program. My attention was arrested by a mentally handicapped young man who was giving his testimony. “God loves me just as I am!” he said as tears streamed from his eyes. And I sat down on my coffee table and began to weep. Why? Because I’d suddenly realized that a true heavenly Father would do just that, would make a way for all of his children, not just the ones who understood esoteric teachings and followed arduous mystical paths.
He would make a way.
In Matthew 18:1-3, right after Jesus predicts his own death, the Apostles argue about which of them is “the greatest.” Jesus stands a child between them and says, “I tell you this, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven!” How could it be any other way? We are all children. The greatest thinkers in human history are but toddlers (less than that, befuddled ants) in comparison to an infinite God. Would you send a toddler to make their own way? No! God is the Father we never outgrow.
We are not equipped to do this ourselves.
Amazingly, in Luke 22, after what we know as the Last Supper, the Apostles argue again about who is the greatest! Seeing their “I’ll do it my own way” pride, Jesus tells them, in essence, Stop! Get your eyes off of you! But how? He offers this: Take My life into you (represented in communion) and die to that false self you’ve created. Let me give you back the life you threw away in the Garden, the unbroken communion with your Father; and let that life flow through you to others (represented by the humble act of foot washing). And that, by the way, is your answer to the question, “Who is the greatest?”
The next day, He died to save us from us, from our false independence. Because going “our own way,” having “our own religion,” doing “what is right in our own eyes” is killing us. It didn’t work for Adam and Eve. It didn’t work for the Hebrews. And it sure didn’t work for me. Has it worked for you?
Through Jesus, God made a way for us to be truly childlike again, to return to the Garden. Because we don’t need a Father-concept. We need a Father.
And Jesus made a way.
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I selected “like” this post, but I’d select “love” this post, if WordPress made that option available.
Aw, thank you, Candice.
Me too. Great suggestion Candice. I absolutely loved this piece as well. Thank you. Mxo
I love your thought process! A loving Father would indeed make a way. So thankful he did.
So powerful and so true. Thank you Mitch.
As I teach my Muslims, many write back to me, “You have set me free”. I never went through what you have (though I did read all the holy books of world religions and even atheism in case I was wrong after all), so I have tried to reach out to others who are in chains, some of whom know it and some do not. Did you ever run into the guy who told you about The Father? “Holy God, help us reach out to those who are struggling, even though we may not know they are. Help us look around and say the few words they need to hear.”
The person who told me about The Father was a young woman, actually, and, no, I never saw her again. I love your heart, Katheryn, and look forward to meeting (on the other side, if not sooner) those you’ve steered toward heaven!
That is Jesus taught us to pray “Our Father” until we come to Him as little children, however we pray, sitting, kneeling, standing, vocally or silently, however well we may think we have mastered prayer techniques.. the first requirement is that we come as little children, otherwise how do we ever know Him at all? Enthusiasm running away with me. Thank you for a truthful, honest post.
And thanks for your addendum!
Your post didn’t need it. It says it all!
This is such good stuff, Mitch.
“…I pressed on, determined like Adam and Eve to discern good and evil for myself….”
A light bulb went off in my head after reading this line. Atheists and others say “If there was a God, why does Allow evil…”
Who gets to define what is evil? If God “stopped evil,” we would be killed by a lightning bolt for telling our first lie. Thank God for His grace, forgiveness and patience.
Amen, Bill. Love the way your mind works (and your heart).
matthew 43: put thee in a remembrance
luke 47: clap n shout
Powerful beyond words!! Thank you for this!!!
Hallelujah! Great post. Thank you.
My pleasure, Russ.
Some powerful truths here Mitch. Thank you.
Thank you, Ron.
Love “died to save us from our false independence.” Powerful
You nailed it, Mitch! This is the essence of the human condition… falsely independent! Thank God that He came to rescue us from ourselves! This post is outstanding!
Beautiful truth!
Childlike. Yes! Then we can return to the garden. We all need a Father. Thank you, Mitch. Sometimes the most profound words are the simple ones.
A home run, Mitch. Great piece you wrote.
Thank you.
AMEN! Yes, HE will make a way! Thanks for your story. A story of hope, God broke through!
Indeed He did.
That’s a very good analogy, Mitch. In order to truly accept God and Christ, we do need to become childlike again, in the best possible way. When things are going well in our lives, it’s easy to believe that we don’t really need God. But when the hard times come, (or as they say, “sh*t gets real”), then it is amazing how quickly we realize that not only is there a God, but that we need him. And we always will…..Thank goodness our God is a forgiving and loving God!
Amen, Ann!
Hi Mitch,
The more complicated our life the more we see how simply powerful a relationship with Christ is.
Gary
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What a wonderful testimony, I love that God uses the foolish to shame the wise, I love that he used the simple testimony of a disabled man to speak through all your cleverness. I love that he wants to be our Father. You might like this post too; http://godhelpmei.com/2018/06/23/god-is-not-afraid Thanks for leading me to this post of yours! God bless and multiply your ministry. L
Glad it spoke to you, Lauren. Checking out your post now.
Love this piece so much, I’m reblogging it! Keep the posts coming 🙂
I just discovered something I consider quite sad . Did you know Mormons ‘revere’ Eve for her ‘choice’ in the Garden? I am blown away by this twisting of the scriptures. So sad.
Yes, according to Mormon theology (based on non-biblical “scriptures”), the Fall was a necessary part of God’s plan, and therefore ultimately a good thing. https://www.mormonwiki.com/Forbidden_fruit