Help, I'm disillusioned!

Since I have the blog now I might just as well share some more honest thoughts. If you don't like it I apologise in advance. But at least consider it before you switch off!

I really appreciate people who can be honest and talk freely about things that matter. There is nothing as frustrating for me as wasting time talking about the weather and Malema. Especially after being exposed to reality in so many ways. Not only my own, but also after seeing other people who are going through really tough times. Its so easy, especially here in Joburg, to get caught up in materialism, vanity and impressing others. Really people. 

Its overwhelming how many people are uncomfortable with death. Or anything terrible that happens for that matter. Especially Christians. I'll tell you why. Some Christian circles teach that prayer is like a magic wand. God is just waiting for you to pick it up and speak the magic words and there you go. God acts on your request. Or demand. Or 'declaration'. Or they believe that by their 'obedience', which in actual fact is just the keeping of the law, they are entitled to certain successes. I'm getting sidetracked here, but the truth is that Jesus came to fulfill the law. Isaiah 64:6 says that our righteousness are as filthy rags. Your works do not impress God. And in Galatians 5:4 Paul says that You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. So if you think that anything other than accepting the work of Jesus on the cross and being forgiven for your unrighteousness by grace will earn you anything, you have missed the gospel completely. Yes, if anybody tells you to be saved by grace and do this or that, they are teaching a false gospel. Obviously if you realise that you're getting a gift that you don't deserve and that you are made righteous by grace alone, you would want to turn away from any sins. But it starts with a change of heart. It cannot be imposed on someone from the outside. What I'm trying to say is that even the most law-abiding prayer worrier Christian do not 'deserve' and therefore cannot claim any earthly blessing.

Other people who are into life coaching, positive thinking and motivational talking also try to avoid or ignore the subject of death. They believe that you are the master of your own universe, that you can shape your future and that happiness and success comes from your own inner strength, you must just tap into it and train your mind to do all sorts of things and wallah. Magic.

These types of people are disillusioned when a baby dies. And if it is the baby of a Christian who prayed, believed God and maybe even applied positive thinking techniques, even more so. That is why so many people tell me 'wow its so amazing that you went through all of this and kept your faith'. I can't imagine loosing your faith just because things do not go according to plan. I can imagine loosing your faith if you believe in the magic wand prayer and all the other stuff I mentioned. I would also. I know these things cannot be true because firstly the Bible doesn't teach it and secondly because it doesn't work. It only works when things go according to plan. Certain things we can control. But sometimes God reminds us that we are not in control. He is. We are small and insignificant. We are nothing to be proud of. No achievement can impress him. No good deed or cause will sway his thoughts about us. In ourselves, he sees our sin, because He is holy. But He also loves us and worked out our redemption from the beginning of time. Through Jesus He sees us as righteous and worthy to spend eternity with Him. How silly it would be to think that we can save ourselves.

Huisgenoot phoned me yesterday. They're going to use Tabitha's story in an article. I hope that more people who are faced with the realities of life will find peace and comfort in God (the real God that is!) in reading her story.