Tuesday, May 3, 2011

i just gotta say something else :)

i would like to respectfully submit an addendum to yesterday's post :) i understand we may have opposing views regarding this topic and i honor that. i just want us to be clear that this is NOT a spiritual maturity issue - i am firm and confident in what i believe and what i feel God has laid on MY heart and for that i will not apologize. if you are offended, it breaks my heart but i have to trust that you have come to terms with what God has laid on YOUR heart and reconciled yourself to that. we are HUMAN. we will NEVER have the answers we are so desperately needing here on earth. but, one day, one glorious day, ALL will be made clear and we will no longer see through a glass darkly but will then see face to face. this is my hope and my song. thank you Jesus for saving a wretch like me.

yes, Jesus commands us to love our enemies, to turn our cheek, to forgive 70 times 7. i understand that Jesus' death and resurrection frees us from the law of the Old Testament but does it also discount the stories of abraham, joseph, moses, and david?? david, the only man in scripture to be referred to as a "man after God's own heart", killed tens of thousands of men, in addition to his infamous victory over goliath. there were shouts of joy and jubilation when david killed the giant (with a blow to the head, i might add), cut off his head and brought it to saul. i realize this is tough to stomach, it seems very harsh, but it's in the Bible - it was a God-ordained VICTORY. believing that God is the same yesterday, today and forever, is it not feasible that He could ordain another victory in a similar fashion? the beauty of the Bible is that it is not to be completely understood - there are seemingly numerous contradictions held within - but i believe with every ounce of my being that it is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. in our humanness, we cannot make sense of all of it. and God recognizes this. but, in that, i KNOW that ALL OF IT is TRUE and i TRUST that one day it WILL all make sense. the Holy Trinity, the Godhead three in one, is something we cannot rationalize in our human brains. that God is a consuming fire and a compassionate Father is hard to comprehend. that Jesus would speak such harsh, seemingly condemning words to the pharisees and the sadducees (see the Gospel of John) and then command us to love our enemies is tough to reconcile. but i TRUST in His goodness and His love for me and the rest of the filth of the world, of which i am the worst. i will not be boasting in this one man's death but i am extremely grateful that we live in a country that is well-protected by honorable men and women who willingly and selflessly give their lives and their livelihoods in defense of us and our children. i am thankful for a husband who, as his vocation, risks his life for the life of others and is trained to do what needs to be done in order to fulfill his commitment to his country. i pray every day for his protection which is why i am so insanely passionate about this.

love you girls and i respect differing opinions because i know that God speaks to each of us individually and in different ways. it is not my intent to try to persuade you to believe otherwise, or to influence you to think as i think (what an obnoxious world that would be. lol) just felt led to share my heart with you all. be blessed today - hug your babies a little tighter today - and know that i love you with all my heart :)

hugs
jen

5 comments:

  1. You are amazing and I love you. The End.

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  2. Jen, Kath and Lizzy here, just got done loving you blog post of monday and today. You go girl! I know that God is in everything that has been done. Even the 10 years is Gods timing for whatever reason. We too thank God for the men and women on the front lines. We love you

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  3. Again, well said. :) I feel exactly like you do on this issue and have grown quite weary over how to respond to people who have such an opposite opinion on this issue. Just sat down to dig in the scriptures in an effort to help a friend respond effectively to those who are attacking her for celebrating this victory. You saved me the time. :)
    Love ya!

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  4. Jen, my husband found this, and it's excellent. Thought it might be helpful to some of your readers. A Biblical perspective on UBL's death: http://web4.sa-media.com/articles/vi-521116844-3.PDF

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  5. I concur! (Yes, totally!!) Although I fear that my opinion on your previous blog may have been one that caused you to speak again; but, I'm glad you did! We are not to judge anyone else's HEART, but can I be so bold to say that I know you to be a faithful, Godly, loving, gentle, spiritually mature woman? That's the Holy Spirit part of you, just as He exists in all of us who welcome Him into our lives. We, Christians, are filthy sinners who are totally unworthy of Christ. But He gave Himself for us anyway and turned us into shining lights. What a miracle!

    I know that OBL got his due, just as Christ promised he would. I'm grateful that we all have choices, and OBL made his. But, I can't forget that one day in 2001, and the celebrating that al-Qaeda and other extremists did at the great tragedies on our shore. His defeat this week IS a victory, no question, and I pray for all of the precious faithful men and women of our military who put their lives in harms way every day. Praise God for them!! But, I do not want to lead any living member of OBL's family or "gang" to believe that Christ did not die for them. He did. And He asked me to show them that.

    And my friend, the Holy Spirit may lead us in slightly different ways, but we are still following Him down the same, narrow path. Forgive me if I have offended you in any way. You have never, ever, ever offended me.

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