I feel like I have been lied to and cheated. I feel like I my past has been hidden from me and I have been living a shallow, fake life. The world, our culture today has tried and almost succeeded in stripping me of my history. I feel like I've been living an illegitimate life, betraying my own family!
These weeks of learning about Church History have opened my eyes to reality. Before coming here the extent of my knowledge about Christian history started with the Apostles, moved on to persecuted Christians in Rome and then jumped to me and my family today. Granted, I knew a few facts about the Reformation, Martin Luther etc. I'd heard of Wycliffe and Tyndale and knew about the Puritans and such but wow, now the gap is gone! I have filled in that huge hole I never even knew was there! Granted, there are still a lot of blanks but I don't feel so separate from those who began the faith. Moreover, I feel connected! I feel like I am part of a family - these were real people! My own brothers and sisters struggled and were persecuted, fought for their beliefs and were killed for them. People I am going to meet some day - people I am going to talk to gave me my Bible and paid for it with their lives! It makes me sad that I have never studied them before. I have always loved my family so much and now I feel that I have so many more people to love.
When I began this year, I was struck by the family atmosphere of the place and how all of my peers have become so close and precious to me, well that is how I am beginning to see all my Christian brothers and sisters in history. I think we have all really missed out, not getting to know them. I am angry at the way that my secular public school basically lied to me about history. Everything that happened was because of religious struggles and influences. (And I think today more world events than we realize are effected and influenced by that same thing.) It is unfair that we are not taught the truth. I pray that someday it will change but I think it is an impossible hope. I'm thinking it's really only gonna get worse.
I understand how you feel Analea...especially about how the whole truth isnt told in school. But that is the whole plan of Satan, is to subltey infilrate and deceive our lives, until all we are is upsidedown and we don't even know it!!
ReplyDeleteI went to a leaders meeting last night and how i wish you were there!! Jeff was speaking on Community verses Individualism. Basically how we and even the church has bought into this lie of 'its all about me' syndrom...i saw it in my own life, we want community but on our own terms, how ironic eh? Anyways i thought you'd like that we got this 'teaching', more than ever I beleive Jeff has got it right...well at least that he is listening to God's own word and not his own opinion or the opinions of others. The church of today is suffering...is it even possible to fix it? I dunno...
So True Analea. The evil one does not want us to clearly understand our own history, simply because it reveals the work of God in preserving His truth and the redemption of his people but also exposes the wickedness of Satan., Can you imagine that even the history or 60 years ago, the holocaust, some would have us think it didn't really happen. It is so good what you are learning so that as you learn from the past, you will be empowered to move forward with a strengthened faith.
ReplyDeleteLove you.
Dear Analea, you have made me sad just reading about all I have missed out :( Do you think they would let old people like me come and learn at this school? Reading your notes does help a little thank you for sending them to us.
ReplyDeleteLove Mom
Analea, I may be feeling a little jealousy...
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be learning many things that it too me over 50 years of living and a lot of pain to learn. I'm sure though that there is so much more that has not been revealed to me. Thank you for your words and helping me on my journey, AKA life!
That school thing you mentioned... Things that my children learned at school (or half things) caused me to have to teach them the side of things I had learned. So much true history has been tossed out of schools because they want to deny God. When I would meet with teachers and ask, they would seem to cringe...
I would arm my children with history I had learned, some of which I could back with the Bible itself. They would sometimes go back to school and question! Again I would hear from the school. My favorite comeback was, what's wrong, are you afraid of truth? (School and their officials didn't like me much... : )
I really had a principal tell me they were not allowed to use the Bible. He went on and explained why... I came back with, OK, it's not allowed because of separation but, is it not the oldest history book known? Why then not look at it a religion but use it as history? Yup... He decided he was busy and had to move on...
What I just don't get are the people who teach. I see them at their churches on Sunday's, then they go to school and teach denial...
Again dear Analea, Thank You so much for brightening my day and my life! You and a few others I've found here on the internet have shown me that there IS hope for the future!
And Shari, I'll bet your proud as can be!
Don't be sad. I'll bet ya when Analea comes home for visits she tells you all about the wonderful things she's learned. I've got a feeling there is a wonderful future ahead for her!