Religion v. Life
October 7, 2024
My first thought is that religions make demands of their adherents.
Life also makes its demands. It seems to me, after experiencing life for seventy-four years, the benefit of religion is that it can give structure to a person’s life, but so do the menial tasks in our lives — making coffee, doing the dishes, weeding the garden, oh! and let’s not forget the largest core demand — our jobs.
“Overall, approximately 50 percent of the forgone labor hours goes to leisure, which includes sleeping, watching TV, and socializing with friends.” — The Atlantic,. This also seems a likely scenario for retired people like myself…
From a different viewpoint, and I imagine it is the viewpoint of a person who is financially secure and only sometimes unemployed, who says that unemployment “can be a time of self-discovery, skill-building, networking, and more. Explore some effective ways to make the most out of your time spent unemployed and ensure you stay productive while you search for new doors that will open to your future.” — https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettbaughman
As for the reality of the chronically unemployed, we can see how they spend their days by looking at how they spend their limited income: “Nearly 75% of expenditures for families living in or near poverty goes to food, transportation, rent, utilities, and cell phone service.” — Econofact.org.
I’ve been in those shoes, and those demands certainly filled up my days!
Sometimes ending up in a more difficult situation of homeless, basic survival demands. This life demand is often reported on the National News from all the various TV Stations. For more info- https://endhomelessness.org/homelessness-in-america/homelessness-statistics/state-of-homelessness/
All the same, everyone knows the demands of everyday life.
Still, I’ve yet to mention the demands of “third world countries” where people have to walk two miles, every day, just to get the water they need.
So, then, there’s that.
Long story short… Back to Religion v. Life…
From my vantage point, nobody needs any more demands on their lives beyond the backdrops of what I have written so far.
Again, from my perspective, people should be able to get a break from Religion — not more demands.
From my limited understanding (and probably, many would consider my “shallow knowledge” of World Religions), the only meritorious choice which provides instead of placing more weights on our shoulders is actually not Religion at all…
It’s a personal relationship with God who will supply all our needs — both the internal and the workaday necessities of life. He created everything, knows how everything works, including us, and in the Bible, provides the basic precepts of how to live in His Creation.
The only demand is making the sometimes difficult decision to turn to Him…
And He has even provided the way to do that: “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” — 1 John 3:9 & 10, New International Version. Also, in the Old Testament (Contract Agreement), there is this, “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” — Psalm 84:11, ibid. In the New Testament (Contract Agreement), if we walk with Jesus through talking with Him and learning by reading the Bible (just like being back in school), we are considered to be blameless. Jesus has covered our sinfulness so that we can have the needed time to, as Jesus suggested, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” — Matthew 11:29, ibid.
God doesn’t put any more burdens on us than life already has, and with that verse, it seems to me, Jesus is going to do most of the heavy lifting. In my experience, that is absolutely true.
All in all, with this verse “…he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 1:6, God seals the deal.
I know that some argue that that sounds pretty demanding… I think that is just stubbornness that comes from ego-tripping. Until you get ahold of Him, I could understand that complaint. However, there is comparison between approaching God, Jesus, and the Bible as a Religious thing instead of what God is trying to do: Bring us back into relationship with us just like what He created in the beginning:
“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day…”
Looking back, I know why I hid myself from God, just like Adam and Eve did “…and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” — ibid). I was stubbornly hiding, because I would challenge Him with epithets of doubts. However, now that I have become a Born Again Bible Believing Christian, there is no need to hide, because “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” — Philippians 1:6, ibid.
I would say then that my point in mentioning this is that God actually did begin a good work in me.
Well, that has been my experience, andyways, and it can be yours, too.
I didn’t deserve any of this. but regardless, I received it as the gift that it is: a restoration, not a burden whatsoever, not demanding, but more like the type of free rides I used to get, hitch-hiking all over the country…
Jesus taught “These things {overwhelming concerns about material needs} dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” — Matthew 6:32 & 33, New Living Translation, {my edit by adding the implied topic).
Here’s another person testifying about her experience in song: CeCe Winans — Shepherd (Official Audio)
