Because it really is personal…

All this mess of people dying and all, it makes me think. I don’t usually like thinking, not about deep philosophical things, anyway. I’m more of a ‘do-er’ than a ‘think-er’. Give me a task and I’m all over it. Ask me an opinion and smoke starts coming out of my ears and I have to go take a nap.

But, here’s the situation. Grandad died. My belief is that when a person dies, their soul leaves their body and goes Somewhere Else. I don’t know where. I’m told that if one is a Believer (in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, Who Died For Us etc) that one gets to go through the First Class line and sits at the Heavenly Banquet Table and gets the good wine. Apparently, if one is not a believer, they don’t get the First Class treatment, and may even have to sit in cargo for eternity. That’s what they tell me anyway.

Here’s what I believe: I’m not sure what I believe. I believe God loves each person, be they Baptist Deacon or homosexual party-boy or crusty Texas rancher. I believe God wants each and everyone one of us to have a relationship with Him, and will do anything (even everything) to provide us with the chance to do so, but ultimately leaves the decision up to us, because if He forced us to love Him (which He could, if He wanted to) then the relationship would be valueless. We would be puppets, and we all know a relationship based on mutual love and respect is far more gratifying than the fondness we had for our Chatty Cathy doll in the 2nd grade.

(pardon whilst the smoke clears from my ears…I’m going to go eat a cookie and regain my senses)

Here’s where this rickety train of thought is going. They say if you don’t love Jesus you’re going to Hell. Ok, I can see the logic in that. I can also see how that logic would be deeply offensive to many. However, I have a problem with any person saying to any other person “you’re going to hell!” because that’s not their judgement to make. “Vengeance is Mine, sayeth the Lord” and all that. It doesn’t say “Vengeance is yours, Rootietoot, because you’ve been baptised!”. Therefore, I simply cannot say with any authority whether or not some individual is gonna eternally fry. I can say “If you don’t change your ways, you might…” or even “That lifestyle is a wide road to perdition.” But ultimately, it is no man’s right to damn another man.

Here’s what I hope. I hope with all my heart that right then when a person breathes their last, and their soul leaves their body, that God is there, giving them one last chance. Since no one returns from the dead, we don’t have any way of knowing for sure if that’s what happens, but I hope that’s what happens.

So that’s what I’m thinking, that a God who loves each individual person as if they were the only person alive surely loves us each enough to give us ample opportunity to love Him back. I’m also thinking that He isn’t one to put requirements on that love. He told someone that the greatest commandments were to love Him with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. He didn’t say that one had to forego makeup and eat only cheerioes, or that one had to beat oneself with a stick twice a week. He just said love Him and love others. I am confident He’ll give everyone a chance to do just that, because that’s the kind of Personality He is.

Ok there. /end Deep Philosophical/Religious hoo ha.

Now, someone tell me why my printer is making the photos too dark. When one buys a top of the line photo printer one expects top of the line prints.