Is That Really It??

One of the great freedoms we have, in every walk of life, is our freedom to choose our religion, faith, or perhaps to decide that there is no supreme being, and what we have in this world is all there will ever be. Many very learned and scholarly people have spent untold hours, and written books on whether there is a God or not. I am not a scholar in the same way these people are, and there are differing views even amongst the scientific community. There are many scientists who are convinced that there is a God, and similarly, many who think there is not. I could not enter a scientific debate with these scholars and philosophers, so I won't.


We are entitled to differ in this very basic question, and we do. Therefore I do not want to question how those who come to the conclusion that there is no God, got there. At least everyone knows where they stand. There are those too, perhaps like me, who are very sure of their belief in God, and have the faith to support it. In my limited way, I have read books, questioned myself, and spoken to others, to come to my own conclusion that there is a God, and that He is not far from any of us. I also believe the Bible is given to help us find the way. 


So we have two opposing camps. Those who accept there is a God, and those who don't, but in each case the decision was made after due thought and consideration at our own level. We are entitled to that basic freedom. However, there is a group in the middle. People who have not really given it a lot of thought, and who certainly don't live one way or the other, but who call themselves by a vague name. A name like, Catholic, or Protestant, or C of S, or C of E, or Baptist, and the list could go on. They will take their children to church to get baptised, get married, or be buried with a church's blessing. They might even go to church on a special occasion like Christmas, but have not committed to any real or life changing faith.


At the end of our time here on this earth, I find myself asking the question again, 'is this really all there is to my life'?  It's the same question those scholars can't agree on. We get side tracked by questions like, 'why all the suffering', and fail to ask 'why am I here'? So as my life draws to a close someday (and it certainly will!), I will not be asking myself 'is that really it'? My faith allows me to believe in life after death, and the chance to see a God who loves me, and loved ones who have died before me. It's my basic freedom, and based on many of life's choices and circumstances. The great thing is, I can live and die with confidence, and that gives me comfort right here, right now. I like that.