Well guys, here I am again. It's another sleepless night during finals week. As I lay in my bed for hours on end, my thoughts drifted to you guys. Finally, here at 2:30, I decided to do something about it.
Again, as I was lying in bed, I decided to analyze my life. I began to look at the friends I have now compared to my friends in high school and made an abrupt discovery. It turns out, that of all the people I knew in high school, the people I now hang out with the most are probably the people I would have least expected to then. To all you high school kids, take it as a warning to always be friendly to the quiet, nerdy kid because he or she might be your best friend one day. Astonishingly enough, I've found both Felicity and Amy to be much smarter (Felicity) and more fun (Amy) then I ever would have given them credit for a few years ago. I'm not sure yet if I'm trying to underhandedly insult them with that comment or not. I think I was, but I'm not sure if it had the effect I wanted here at 2:30.
So now, to a new topic. Yes, you too can be a forest-fire-fighter.
Ok, that's probably the stupidest thing I've said today.
But honestly folks, here is the Josh Manning challenge of the day:
What do you believe? Why do you believe it? What is the significance of this belief in your life?
Basically, the reason I'm asking is because I've noticed something lately. I've noticed it on campus at Nicholls and in life in general, but I don't think people truly know what they believe. I couldn't help but laugh when, the other day, I heard a group of students actually shouting profanities at one another while debating what Jesus would do in a certain situation. This is a truly sad thing! I remember episodes like this happening in high school as well. I remember class "discussions" getting way out of hand when people would debate what movies Jesus would see. Now-a-days we even have this "What would Jesus drive?" campaign going around!
And just so that you don't all think this email is strictly about Jesus and Christianity, I'd like to remind you I'm not so ignorant to think everyone believes this. I'm just using it as an example since it is what I believe. To the atheist I'd like to challenge you on why you are an atheist. To the Muslim on why you are a Muslim. To the polytheist, why so? And so on.
Basically, what I'm trying to say is to discover why you believe what you believe. Take a moment and decide if you are truly happy with life. Have your beliefs truly brought you happiness? Are you content with where you are? I mean, truly content. Really, I want you to ALL now CLOSE YOUR EYES and think about this.
To those of you who are content with where you are, congratulations. To those who still feel there is a bigger picture, something more for you, here is Josh Manning’s word of suggestion (take it for what you will):
Study, study, study, study. Find some books talking about what you believe and read them. Find books talking about what other people believe and read them. I believe that if there is one God, one universal truth, that if you truly seek it, you will find it. So study Christianity, study Islam and Hinduism. Study why the Baptists do one thing and the Catholics another. A warning though: study objectively. Don’t turn to the very first thing you study just because it seems to make sense, but make sure it’s the truth! Most of these religions talk about an eternity that you will either spend with God or without God. I highly suggest you make certain which one is right. And it is common sense that they can’t ALL be true. Most of them have an “exclusive policy.” They basically all cancel each other out.
Here are some books I would recommend reading that I found helpful. There is More than a Carpenter by Joshua McDowell and Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. These are really helpful for study of the Christian religion.
Now here is the kicker, once you figure out what that truth is, pick it up and run with wild abandon. There is no looking back. Good golly this is life! It’s time to draw the line and stick by our guns. None of this halfway “I believe this but do this” stuff. You either belief it and live by it or not.
Anyway, that’s been the thing that’s been on my mind recently. I hope I haven’t aggravated you, my faithful friends too much. I don’t mind aggravating you a little, especially if it helps you out some, though. I mean, if I were swimming in shark infested water, I would hope someone would yell out and tell me so I could get out, even if they did interrupt a perfectly good swim, you know?