Friday, June 24, 2016

Do Not Be Afraid to Believe in God



Recently, after being served my food at a restaurant, the server told me to enjoy my meal and to have a blessed day. My son, who was with me, was surprised because, as he explained, didn’t hear people wishing him a “blessed” day as opposed to a “nice” day very much, in addition to not hearing “God Bless You” after a sneeze, the “God” part being left off. I explained to him that many people are afraid to openly express their religion or their spirituality or their belief in God because they are afraid to offend someone who might not believe. I told him that this made as much sense as people trying to hide their race or gender for the very same reason. 

Matthew 5:16 says that we should let our heavenly lights shine so that others will see our good works and will thus be led to give glory to God in Heaven. The simple act of wishing that someone be blessed by God is an example of someone fulfilling this instruction. This server was clearly not afraid to show that he was a believer in God, and in showing that he was not ashamed to be a believer, the bible says that God will not be ashamed of him at judgment.

There are many who will read this who may not believe in God, but for those who do, we should be as willing to let people know that we believe in God as we are willing to discuss the NBA Finals or the Real Housewives of Atlanta. This is not to say that we should attempt to force our beliefs onto every one that we see, but a simple act like saying “God bless you” or wishing that someone has a “blessed” day might just be the thing that lets a person know that there is a way to overcome whatever problem the person might be suffering through. 

As I told my son, there are people who do not like certain races, or who might have a problem dealing with one gender or another, but we persist knowing that we still need to live our lives. In a similar fashion, we should not be ashamed to let others know that we believe in God. If someone is offended because we wish them a “blessed” day, they will let us know, just as they will probably let us know that they do not like Whites, Blacks, Asians, Hispanics, men or women. In those instances, we move on, knowing that we did what God has asked us to do, and then we ask God to bless them anyway. 

Follow Eric E. Jenkins on Twitter @ericejenkins65

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