I recently got into contact with a old friend from High School. I didn't have that many friends, but he and two other guys along with me formed the 'four musketeers' battling the forces of High School pointlessness. It'd been 40 years since we last spoke.
I don't know what his 'religious affiliation' is now, or even if he has one. Back then, we were basically just a bunch of booger-heads and it was probably only me that took the whole religion thing very seriously...not that it did me any good at all...some of you can relate I'm sure.
Anyway, I asked the question on Facebook, "Where would you be without God"? and here's what he said.
"Without God" was like taking a cruise on a ship with plenty of power and no semblance of a rudder, wandering aimlessly , banging into things occasionally, causing pain to myself and others, or sometimes just going around in meaningless, purposeless circles. It could be that God saw an iceberg in my future because he dispatched exactly the right kind of rescue chopper which got me off the ship of fools. The paths from and to God are way longer for some than others and, almost invariably, the space between the "from" and "to" involves a fair amount of pain and regret. Most people believe that the time in torment can be eternal but I don't. Core knowledge is hard to come by but there's nothing more certain than knowing I'd never ever give up and simply wash my hands of any son or daughter of mine. Yet how much greater would there be a capacity for love, compassion, and forgiveness if one considers The Old Block, off whom we're all chips? I believe the "Old Block" is an eternal Optimist in every sense of eternity and optimism.
I thought it was cool enough to be worth sharing. I'll bow to the other mods if they think this is 'teaching', but I just think it's a 'testimony' and one I relate to very much.