Between religions, there are defections going in two directions all the time. The devil particularly delights in defections from clerical families. I have never heard of the son of an Orthodox presbyter becoming a Muslim, but I’m sure it happens from time to time.We tend to rejoice (why should we not?) when Muslims or other non-Christians embrace Christianity, especially when we can tell from their living testimony that the conversion is genuine. Many times, though, converts talk as if they have really accepted our faith, when in fact they have just exchanged one religious ideology for another.
The same is true when Christians become Muslims or Jews, probably more so, because though Christianity expresses itself as a religion, at its core it is something entirely different: it is the presence of the living God who interacts with us in the most intimate terms.
In Islam and Judaism that intimacy cannot occur, unless believers in those creeds are actually in a relationship with Jesus Christ without knowing it. Aside from what anyone says, Christian or non-Christian, churched or unchurched, there is no mediator between God and man except the God-Man Jesus Christ, who is both Son of the Father and the Word of God.
Though we churchables define and try to confine Him within our doctrinal formularies, we know from watching Him in the written gospels and in today’s world where He is still active, that like the Spirit of God, He goes where He wants to go. He can go and show Himself anywhere, and He usually does.
Yes, He abides with us, among the sheep of His pasture, the flock that He guides, but at the same moment He is before His Father’s throne interceding for us, and again at the same moment He is out walking the world seeking His lost sheep.
Do we accompany Him there?
All of us, no matter who we are, or in what state of life, are poor before the Lord. We know we lack and all of us try to make up for it somehow. Just because we find what we think we lack in our native religious culture is not a sign that we have found it, found Him, who alone fulfills our every true desire and withers our every fantasy.
What we think about God is what comprises our religion, but He loves us and saves us without our thoughts, even without our doctrinal beliefs, that is, totally without our help. He loves us and saves us only because we come to Him in whatever way, crying out to Him,
‘I am Yours, save me!’
Don’t we believe that He knows all about us? Don’t we believe He knows who it is we’re crying out to? Just as He loves us in this unconditional way—what else can unconditional mean, if not, total abandon on our side, total mercy on His?—so we must continue to love our children, even when they sin, even when they stray.
It is not when our families have turned out as we expected because we faithfully carried out our responsibilities, because we were good examples, or because we loved and provided for them sacrificially, that we can consider ourselves blessed. These are the works and the expectations of the natural man. What if Christ wants to change us into men and women supernatural? What might that look like? This is not to say that when families stay true to the Lord in everything, it is not a good thing, or blessed, but that what we do when we are driven into the wilderness, proves our faith and purifies our inner man.
It is when things have not turned out as we expected, when we have suffered disappointments that mock our faithfulness, when our family members reject not only the faith we tried to hand over to them, which was the best we had, but when they reject us as well, and we still love them, still pray for them, still welcome them, still praise the good they do, refrain from judging them, abstain from blaming them, still want them even when they don’t want us, that we can consider ourselves blessed. ‘Be perfect,’ says the Lord Jesus, ‘as your heavenly Father is perfect…’
6 comments:
I think it was impossible for me not to convert to Orthodoxy Christianity "the religion" before beginning the process of my true conversion beyond religion. Maybe some know a better path than the one I took. But I often fall into religious modes as a way of struggling (my father had a wonderful saying, "struggling is just delaying obedience").
The person of Jesus Christ is what distinguishes Chrisitanity from all other 'religions.' Religion-switching might not be so serious if it were not for the Incarnation of Christ--anyway, regarding a switch from Christianity to a non-Christian religion. To switch from Baptist to Catholic would be less serious inasmuch as one retains a belief in Christ. To reject Christ is a very, very serious matter--let us hope that such persons will find their way back with renewed love and of their own free will and choice to accept Christ. I wonder, if in their heart, the switchers still believe in Christ and know He will receive them back when they are ready. Can they, having come from a Christian background, really imagine a world without Christ?
“... when our family members reject not only the faith we tried to hand over to them, which was the best we had, but when they reject us as well, and we still love them, still pray for them, still welcome them, still praise the good they do, refrain from judging them, abstain from blaming them, still want them even when they don’t want us, that we can consider ourselves blessed.”
I thought, as I was reading your post, that we can’t stop loving the dear ones when they reject us. How can we stop loving and wanting them? We keep loving, just with aching. The only thing that can be difficult is not to blame and judge. But I’m sure all this is possible...
Thank you, brother, for this thoughtful response.
Please keep in mind that I often don’t respond quickly – that’s because I want to meditate on the topic before responding, as the thought that comes into mind first is often inaccurate or even wrong. (And, in addition to that, I simply juggle multiple family and work projects every day, so finding some time to write anything that is more than a word or two is often difficult. :)
@ Aunt Melanie:
> Can they, having come from a Christian background, really imagine a world without Christ?
I think, people go away from Christ only if there was no Meeting with Him in their lives. In that case Christianity is an empty religion, stale though beautiful. Until they know Christ personally, these questions are senseless for them.
Sasha, thank you for adding that comment. I never realized it before that I have believed in Christ from childhood. There must have been that Meeting with Him, although I cannot pinpoint any time or place or event. But, somehow, the Bible and the (a) church(s) were never empty for me: I knew they were holy. I honestly never realized until now how lucky and blessed I was--despite the hardships of my life, despite straying here and there, despite negative influences, despite distrust and doubt, despite my long journey--I always felt in my heart that Christ was real. Not to have had that Meeting with Him must induce despair and a consequent search in different directions--anything is better than emptiness.
Aunt Melanie, no one can define the occasion, content, duration, or anything else about the Meeting.
What we find, whether we remember an exact moment of the Meeting or not, is that once we have met the Lord, we meet Him everywhere, at least everywhere we are awake.
The idea then is to be awake as much as we can.
'If I am dreaming, let me never awake. If I am awake, let me never sleep.'
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