In the classic Dickens novel 'Tale of two Cities' the opening lines grab the attention of the reader with "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light."
Two stories a couple of months ago attracted my attention, because they seem to illustrate Dickens' words:
Earlier this year Fabrice Muamba, a professional footballer and devout Christian, collapsed on the field and his heart stopped for 78 minutes. The football community and national press called for prayer. The miracle was that he recovered without any brain damage. Life coming out of death and resurrection are at the cornerstone of the Christian faith. For those who want to see with their spiritual eyes, is this a sign of what God will do in our generation as He has done throughout our history? I believe there are some very positive 'signs' of life within our Christian community.
Shane Jenkins watched a horror movie the night before subjected his girl friend Tina Nash to a horrific assault of domestic abuse by gouging out her eyes in April 2011. The courage of Tina was obvious to all and she said "You've only got one life and I'm not going to let him (Jenkins) ruin it." This event shocked all of us by its evil intent.
Regarding these two stories, Jesus Christ, Himself says in John 10 verse 10 "the thief has come only to steal, and kill and destroy, I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." The Bible teaches us that before Jesus came to establish what we understand as religion, He came primarily to set individuals free from the enslaving power of negativity and spiritual destruction.
People often talk to me about God and these discussions are the 'stuff of life'. Often the discussions relate to the nature of God and the part we play in the theatre of life. The first thing I share and submit is that the theatre of life involves God, us and 'powers and principalities'.
I believe in life after (and before) death and I believe that I can only understand the true love of God and my fellow man with 'free will'. I am not a robot. To exercise free will I must make right choices. There are consequences of actions. All of us are going to face challenging times in this life as the Bible states, but God is the 'power' who carries us through these times. Tina Nash has chosen not to allow this horrendous event to rob her any more and Fabrice is just thankful to be alive. What a testimony he has!!!
Yes these are the best of times and the worst of times, but, personally, I trust that my understanding of time and my journey of life will result in eternal life as I put my faith in Jesus Christ (to 'cling to, rely on, trust in Him' as the Amplified Bible puts it).
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