So, Friday I topped the list of my 'worst experiences ever'... I went to a sugar factory.
Now, I have been trampled in protests before. I have slept with rats on me before. I have stood in a line for 12hours, had ticks, and been forced to dive into bins to feed myself before. Nothing, I mean NOTHING compares to taking a tour through an Ecuadorian sugar factory.
It was terrible. Apart from the fact that I was walking around in the sweltering heat with what felt like a 30kg work hat on, the smell was excruciatingly nauseating- and that's an understatement. I cannot even convey what this place smelled like in words- it's indescribable. I can still smell it on my clothes, and I'm pretty sure that there is sugar up my nose. Also, I'm fairly sure that I dreamt that I was running for my life from a man covered in sugar who was attempting to beat me with a 10kg bag of the stuff. The experience is haunting me. Absolutely haunting me.
When I find myself in distasteful situations, or anytime that I end up doing something that I feel is of no benefit to me, I tend to ask God why He puts me in such positions every so often? Let me tell you, Friday He was getting a mouthful from me- 'Why the EFF am I here Mateeeeee? What the EFF is the point of this??'
He doesn't always answer straight away. Sometimes when we ask something, it takes days, sometimes months, sometimes even years...but Friday I got my answer instantly..
The trip was organized by Evelyn's uni, and I happened to tag along. She and I were travelling in a car with 3 of her uni mates. Amongst these I made a very special friend- Henry.
Henry is a recovering alcoholic/drug-addict. He has been clean for 6years (mind you, he's only 21.) Henry wants to travel the world stopping at Alcoholic's Anonymous centers to tell people his story, and eventually end up in Switzerland where he can settle down with a super-hot Swedish girl and live on a farm with 10 children and grow tomatoes. Henry loves loves loves to talk. Shame that I don't talk much (ahem.) Henry and I yapped for 4hours about everything- from Australian culture, to bananas; to politics to geography...and of course, the topic that most extended conversations find themselves touching on- religion.
(**Note- Let me just mention that I really dislike the word religion. For me, having a relationship with God is not about having a 'religion', because I tend to associate the word 'religion' with the word 'rules' and for me, abiding by rules has nothing to do with loving God. Some people will disagree, I am sure.)
Henry expressed to me that he is struggling spiritually. He is finding it difficult to grasp the concept of having ‘one God’. Henry challenged me with this question- 'Why choose God over Allah, or over Buddah? What is it that makes you think Christianity is the truth?'
Firstly, have it known that while I was 'searching' 10months ago, not only did I begin reading the Bible, but I also did an extensive re-search on many other 'religious' groups too, so I am not completely oblivious to other belief systems. Personally, the Bible spoke to me the most. I COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY believe in, and respect, man's free-will to choose what belief system best works for him, so the following is not intended to offend anyone, or by any means try to convince anyone that what they think is 'wrong'. The following is simply a summary of what I believe and why I believe it. Seeing as I make quite a few references to God and the Bible in this blog, I think it's important for people to understand how I feel in order to try and comprehend where my reasoning comes from-
Yes, I am a Christian, meaning that I believe in Christ. Again, certain words were not intended to cause division amongst people, however during the course of the ages unfortunately it has come to be this way. Hence, I prefer to use the word 'Believer': I am a BELIEVER in God, and I BELIEVE that His son Jesus Christ came down to save the sinners of the world- you and me and your mother and mine and my best friend and your best friend and every single person that we have ever met, and every single person in the course of history. EVERY SINGLE ONE of us- "For all have sinned, and all fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
I am a sinner. By sinner, I mean that I do things against what God desires of me all the time. I say mean things to my friends about other people. I look at photos on Facebook and judge people be what they look like and the things they write. I do harmful things to my body, like drink and smoke and eat the wrong foods. I gossip (is not my most frequently asked question 'What's goss?'). I snap at people. I do a shitty job at being there for people because I'm too caught up in my own stuff and I am constantly complaining that I don't have this that and the other. The list goes on. There are many, many things that I do wrong as a human being. Many things I don't even realise I am doing. I am aware of what is right and what is wrong, but there are some things that I do that are completely unconcious. Of course, there is the big stuff like murdering and stealing that are a conscious acts of malice, but I'm talking about the not-so-conscious ones. For example, in the Old Testament of the Bible one of the 10 commandments includes 'Thou shall not covet'. The act of coveting is the act of being jealous. Jealousy is an emotion that comes from somewhere within me; never have I actually wanted to be jealous, it just happens. I mean, how can you help not being jealous when you see the Princess of Monaco fluttering about the pages of your newspaper? (God, 'Why don't I have my own castle?') This is an illustration of the fact that SIN lives within us- it is inevitable that I am going to fuck-up- even in ways which to some may seem petty and unimportant- but it's going to happen..every single day.
'For I know that nothing good dwells within my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out..' (Romans 7: 18)
Now comes the cool part- no matter what I do, no matter how much of a fuck-up I am, or how many times I screw Him over, God continues to grace me. I look around me, and I have absolutely everything that I need (plus more). Even from a bigger perspective- thinking about the world in general- with all the people that are atheist, or with all the people that turn to other god's, does God not continue to grace them as well? Have not most of us got everything? Okay, so maybe I don't have a Ferrari, or maybe I don't have a jet-ski, or a hut in the Bahamas, or a private jet, or free plane tickets to anywhere in the world, but I have EVERYTHING THAT I NEED TO SURVIVE. God may not necessarily grace me with material things, but He has given me so much more than that- I have a home, I have food and water whenever I need it, I have an amazing mother, and great friends, and all my limbs, and a heart that works properly. I am surrounded with LOVE and above all- I have been given LIFE. Despite the fact that I disappoint God multiple and uncountable times a minute, He keeps giving and giving and giving. And do you know all that He asks for in return? Love. Love for my life, love for the people in it, love for HIM, and above all, love for His only son- our good mate JC. In the words of John-
'And this is the commandment, that we believe in the name of his son Jesus Christ, and LOVE ONE ANOTHER, just as He commanded us.' (1 John 3: 23)
And in the book of Romans-
‘For the commandments- you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and any other commandments are summed up in this word- YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR AS YOURSELF.’(Romans 13:9)
This is my truth. This is why I am a Believer. This is why I read the Bible. This is why I chose to get to know God...because that's all He wants- LOVE. God knows me, and He does so much good in my life that it brings tears to my eyes. For me, it is my duty as a human; it is my duty as a creation of God, to love Him and serve Him. I owe it to Him after all, don’t I?
People think that loving God is about ad-hearing to certain rules, attending certain services, saying certain prayers- yes, the Bible does tell us that once upon a time, God’s people were instructed to live by certain regulations (the 10 Commandments) in order to do right by God, but the new testament confirms that Christ’s death served to erase the sins of everyone, so that God should grant us grace- regarless of our imperfections- because He LOVES us. So, for me, it’s simple. Love God and love people. Because of this, I have chosen to live my life loving God and serving Him. God has blessed me for a reason and it seems logical to me to use that to help others. This is why I am a Believer. This is why I read the Bible. This is why I chose to get to know God. That’s all.
Henry shed a tear, and I felt accomplished. After being able to share this with someone, and touch someone in this way, I decided that I definitely would take a tour through that sugar factory again, and even 10times over, if it meant that I got to express this and get a reaction like Henry’s with people every day.
Enduring 2 hours of utter sugar-hatred was worth it in the end.
And- just for the record- Jesus really is my home-boy. Can someone please buy me that on a T-Shirt?
Love, Crissi
Ps, Shame I’m not very elaborative- I could have made this longer…….
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