Last night I finished this book. I finished it right before I went to bed and had dreams all night about the characters in this book. Would I recommend it as it was so highly recommended to me? I'm not sure. It is an excellent book, it makes you think, but it is very, very detailed. Sometimes I had to put it down because I felt it was worse than watching a movie. I enjoy reading for fun, entertainment. I'm not the sort who likes depressing movies, or seeing man at his worst, and this book had this exact affect on me. The writing is excellent, which is why it brought such deep feelings in me. It is definitely not for the lighthearted. But what got me thinking was a comment someone made about this book and the Christian character in it. I won't give anything away in case someone might want to read it, but the question was posed, "Can anyone ever truly act this way?" Meaning, a "perfect" Christian in every situation. It definitely seems far fetched as we all still sin daily as that is our nature, but the character in this book, when put in impossible situations, always put the Lord and what He would want for her life first. So it got me thinking, of course not. It is impossible to act this way, in our own power. But, nobody I have ever known has even remotely had to go through anything that the person in this book went through, which got me thinking. How deep is our faith?
If we are sick, even really sick, we have doctors, medicine, and people who love us and want to take care of us. I am speaking of course of everyone I know.
If we are hurting financially, I have never personally known anyone homeless, without food, shelter, clothing. Not to say there aren't people like that in our country, maybe ever our city, but they at least have the trashcans to dig through and I am not trying to make light of that, it is a fact. And even if people I know are hurting financially really, really bad, they still have shelter and clothes and people who love them and are praying for them and would take them in if they had no place else to go.
What if you have been hurt by people? Let's say it was even someone in the church? You've been betrayed, not invited to a party, your pride shattered as you were left out of something, you still have everything else except for your wounded pride and hurt feelings. Nothing else has changed. God is still the same, just your perception of the people around you. But do we still love them? Do we forgive them as Jesus commanded us? Or do you just move on and make new friends, or leave the church, or sulk awhile, but always in the end, you move on to new people or a new church. There are always choices you can make.
How do we react to sin around us? Whether its adultery, homosexuality, divorce, no love of life? Even as Christians we have become immune to some of the most basic of sins. Do we really become affected? Do we cry out to God in anguish? No, not usually. We might shed a few tears, but then move on with our lives.
So what am I getting at? The character in this book had nothing but God. No food, no shelter, no clothing, no one to love her, no one to talk to her, no one to pray for her. Absolutely nothing. She only had God. Only Him to trust in, only Him to turn to, only Him to pray to, to talk to. Nobody I know has ever been that without everything and everyone that they truly had to rely on God. There is always someone to call, e-mails to write, facebook to write on to announce what is going on for people to pray for you. We have it all in this country. And not that I am saying that is a bad thing. I love technology and how we can have people instantly praying for us. I love that.
So what is my point. I don't know, I suppose I am rambling a bit. All I do know is that nobody I know has ever been put in the situation where they had to completely and totally depend on God for EVERYTHING. To some extent, we can all rely on ourselves, or our family or friends. I don't ever want to experience that, but it made me thing how much do I rely on God? When I'm in a jam? When I have hurt feelings? When I don't feel good? When I am worried about money? Do I seek Him all day long, or only when I need Him? I finished reading this book feeling convicted not knowing how strong my faith is and having a fear of the similarities in our country today and Rome before it fell. Do I have that desire to put God before everyone and everything else in my life? Am I that thankful and that in love with God that I would forsake everything for Him? And I mean everything, family, friends, my things. Is God my first and foremost priority? Or is it my family, friends, house, job, and all the other things we seek after in this country. Hmmm. I don't know. Only God knows my heart, truly, and what I would do in the worst of situations. And I pray I would always put Him before everything else.
Now on to book two. I am never going to get anything done this weekend!!!
