Honest questions for Christians

[razzelflabben]

But as a non-Catholic, you are allowed to post here, as long as your posts are in compliance with this sub-forum rules of not teaching or debating against Catholicism and are in compliance with the other rules of the general site. And I have my conversation options set to people I follow only. I don't mind you posting in this thread to talk to me about what I have previously said here. You have been very kind toward me and so, I welcome your feedback.

I didn't remember that rules about being able to post if one was not Catholic...I would love to post here, it seems to be a very edifying thread.

What I wanted to say, was in relation to forgiveness. Many people take the idea that one can only forgive when one forgets, yet time and time in scripture, God tells us to remember. The Jews even celebrate the Passover which is nothing but remembering their slavery and captivity in Egypt. But what they are remembering isn't how bad it felt, how justified they were to be angry, but what God did through and despite the sin that affected them personally.

Scripture tells us that Jesus came to destroy the power of sin and death. I John 3:8 and others. When someone hurts you, they sin against you. Jesus came to destroy the power that sin as well as our own sins have over us. A very short list of things I have endured would include abuse as a child, a close relative trying to molest me, 3 people trying to kill me, a husband whose inappropriate content addiction almost took our marriage, churches that have repeatedly persecuted us, our children being physically beaten for our stand in Christ, etc. etc. etc. Forgiveness has been a constant challenge, but what I found at the end of that journey of learning to forgive, is that it set me free from the destruction the sins committed against me intended and in that, I found the joy of remembering, not the pain, but the joy of a God whose Love is so complete that sin has no hold over me.

May you, in time, discover the power of God over the sins in your life, both those you commit (we all have them, please don't be offended by this) and those done to us. May you know the Love of a God who is so powerful that even the sins committed against you cannot remove you from His passionate Love.

WEll, I hope this was as encouraging and edifying as I intended, I have found myself growing fond of several people on this thread as I have been watching you post. I still feel a bit uneasy about posting here since I am not Catholic, but I cherish you all's Love that has been demonstrated and have been praying for you all to know the Joy and Peace of our Lord in ever increasing measures.

 

[Red Fox]

razzelflabben, thank you for your kind words and encouragement. I truly appreciate it. And I am not offended in any way by what you said to me.

 

[TheBarrd]

I was sexually, physically, and emotionally abused by my step dad as a child. He claimed to be a Christian. I was bullied horribly in school by both students and teachers who claimed to be Christians. See, I have high functioning autism, but I was never diagnosed until adulthood. Nobody cared to help me. Instead I was just treated horribly for being different. I could disregard God (as Christians know him) because of these people, but that wouldn't be right. It's not him that was the source of all of this; it was sinners; poor, miserable sinners; wolves in sheep's clothing that we were told of. They come seeking to devour, and I could let them devour me and destroy my soul, but why should I give them that power? You see, if we lived in a utopia where there was no heartache, no sickness, no death, no bad people, and everything was good all the time, many souls would perish. People wouldn't have a use for God. How often to people stop to thank God, to appreciate God, to have a relationship with God during the good times? It's shamefully rare. It's during the bad times that we seek God, call on God, feel God. It's during those bad times that we draw near to him for comfort, and when we stop to think that this life is just temporary. This isn't supposed to be utopia where everyone is nice all the time. The true utopia, Heaven, awaits us in the life to come. Don't let bad people turn you from God. Draw near to him when it's hard. You will feel him. I could blame him for my developmental disorder and mental illness, but I don't. I draw near to him daily and at all times because I hurt. He makes me feel better. His promise keeps me going.

Mikhail, that is possibly the most beautiful testimony I have ever heard.
Thank you for posting that.

 

[High Fidelity]

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Closed at OP's request.

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