I recently returned from a vacation to the majestic Yellowstone National Park with my two best man friends. The mountains, trees, stars, and animals attract visitors from all over the world. On our last night a visitor came into our camp around one in the morning. He completely inebriated himself at the local bar, and was attracted to our campsite due to the massive fire we built. Around one in the morning, while gazing into the fire, I heard a rustle in the grass and saw this young man of 28 years. He had light hair, was of a medium build, and was not handling his alcohol well. I asked him if he was alright and if he wanted to sit down and enjoy the fire with us. He slowly made his way to one of our camp chairs, and thanked us for the invitation. We fed him, and talked with him about a variety of subjects. One of the questions I asked, which is a common question I ask my students and people I meet, is an inquiry that a good majority of people try to avoid, and one that evokes a range of emotions of those questioned, "Do you believe in God?" His response was simple and an answer I have heard before, "No, I don't go to church." Whenever I hear this rejoinder a thought comes into my mind, "most people I know who know God did not find Him in a church." God himself probably would not be able to find himself trying to stay awake during a well intended two hour sermon, or raising his hands and screaming at the top of His lungs for salvation. It seems people tend to shift the blame to the church for their detachment with God. Perhaps it's the inconvenience that scares them. If there is a God then the "I cant's" begin to swell in their mind. I can't do this or that, whatever this or that may be. In the case of my besotted friend, the "I can't" was drinking. He even admitted to me that he did not want to give up his alcohol in the name of God. How he came to that conclusion required further inquiry, but at the time I was enjoying hearing him talk about God. When we find God, or when God finds us, then it truly does become inconvenient because God LOVES us. C.S. Lewis wrote in reference to God, "Love, in its very nature, demands the perfecting of the beloved," (The Problem of Pain) and that is exactly what I believe God is trying to do with His most glorious creation. God will never give up this battle. Luckily, the God I've come to understand continues working on the beloved including myself and my besotted friend.
With love,
Smaug
