Just Let God Sort It Out!
I spend a great deal of time reflecting back over my life. Being a real estate agent, we spend a great deal of time in our cars driving about. I like to listen to books on tape during those endless hours behind the wheel. It’s a way to productively make use of what could be wasted time. I try to listen to thought provoking books…things that cause me to grow as an agent and things that can help me grow as a human being. When I come across something I consider profound, I will turn off the electronics and give my mind a chance to fully digest what I just heard.
What I have discovered about myself, as I grow older, is that I have become far less judgmental of others; especially in terms of faith. I don’t need for someone to believe exactly as I do in order for me to have a relationship with God.
When we all one day stand in judgment before God, I don’t envision any of us being allowed to tattle on others like little school children telling on a fellow student to the teacher. Surely, if God can see into our hearts…He is well aware of what others have done, or failed to do. No, judgment will be a one on one situation; an honest accounting of OUR life and how OUR actions and words impacted others. I have reasoned that if judgment is strictly about my relationship with God; shouldn’t my faith in action simply be about me and God as well?
Following that logic, allows me to worry less about the morality of others. So long as another’s faith or lack of faith does not interfere with my right to worship as I see fit, then I am perfectly content to simply let God sort it out. I need not be concerned about what you do, or don’t do because I am not God…I don’t sit in judgment of you. Living a truly faithful live is so difficult, that I can’t be focused on you…I need to be focused on me.
Throughout history, we humans have sought to force others to worship God as we do. Sadly, with the passing of time…things haven't gotten any better. We have made tremendous strides in so many things, yet there are those among us who think the path to God needs to be littered with dead bodies. In those moments in my life, when I felt a oneness with God, my soul was totally filled with love and peace. There was no room for hatred, bigotry, envy…those things are foreign to God. I would bet my life on it. Indeed, we all will bet our internal lives on our vision of God.
My wife’s dear aunt recently posted the Pope’s Top 10 List on her Face Book page on how to live a rewarding life. In doing a little bit of background research on the topic of this blog, I found that the Pope’s Top 10 List came from an interview he gave in Argentine’s weekly “Viva” magazine on July 27th. I don’t know about you, but I love this Pope. He is stirring quite a bit of turmoil within the Catholic faithful, perhaps even the world…but that’s OK. Every once and a while it is good to engage our brain rather than just letting it run on automatic pilot.
Anyway, in typical David Letterman fashion, here is the Pope’s Top 10 on living a rewarding life…
10. Work for peace
9. Don’t proselytize
8. Stop being negative
7. Respect and take care of nature
6. Find innovative ways to create dignified jobs for young people.
5. Sundays should be holidays
4. Have a healthy sense of leisure
3. Proceed calmly
2. Be giving of yourself to others.
Annnnndddddd, the number one way to live a rewarding and faith-filled life…
1.Live and let live.
I love this last point. It doesn’t mean that we have to accept someone else’s lifestyle choices, or faith, or way of life…it just means that we shouldn’t condemn it. In order to live in peace with ourselves and with others…we need to be less judgmental and just let God sort it out.
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