The Perils and Opportunities Of Freedom: Letters to Dad 2

Dear Dad,

It's about 5 days I wrote you my FIRST LETTER. How are you faring? And how is the family?
Let's talk about religion today.

your boy @joshuaetim, as free as a little bird in the sky

Before then, I just want to let you know that I've missed home and everyone, and I miss you more. You know I'm going to make you proud, not because I've not made you proud before, but it's time to do something different.

Sometimes, I don't really like church but I'm trying to put God first in my life. I'm trying to find God for myself, and I'm sorry if this religious quest of mine will be different from our laid down family Orthodox principles.

Please don't get me wrong, not that I'm rebellious or totally against these principles, as a matter of fact they've formed the basic foundations of my upbringing and I'll be adopting most of them for my unborn children, your grandchildren.

Creative Common extracted from Pixabay

All what I'm looking for is an opportunity to exercise spiritual freedom, a form of spiritual flexibility that will allow me to grow without deviating from morality.

The kind of morality that is subjective to conscience and not the one based on whatever people feel is good or bad.

I'm seeking for an opportunity to go deep in my personal relationship with God. To hear God speak directly to me and not just through pastors or prophets.

To learn how to listen to God and have Him answer my questions about life, religion and faith.

I want to know why people, who were once devoted and committed towards serving God, now turn to atheists.

That reminds me, during my early days on Steemit, I wrote a post about Why we can still expect miracles from God. One man visited the post and told me clearly that miracles are not guaranteed in the Christian life. His reasons being that if miracles happens, God wouldn't have let his wife die of kidney disease, and his two kids to die at birth (stillborns).

I felt terrible and broken for him. When I read his comment all over again, all I could feel was pain and sorrows of a man who had been emotionally battered and had gone through a lot, without having answers to his questions. I didn't know how to console him best, I don't know if I had answers to his questions but all I could do was to assure him that God is still God, and that He exists and still performs miracles.

Isn't it difficult for such a man to believe that a loving and caring God would let him suffer that much?

Concerning Ministry and Religion

I think ministry is beyond preaching and evangelism. Ministry has a lot to do with passion. I understand that evangelism is an important tool towards the advancement of ministry. But without passion, evangelism will be ineffective

We may not all be on a podium or be able to carry our Bibles and hit the streets with the gospel of Jesus Christ, his salvation, redemption plan and love for mankind. But we can also preach to people through our givings, our deeds and sacrifices.

We can touch the lives of people anywhere and in the forgotten corners of the world, without finding or looking for a common ground. And when they become receptive, we can ultimately lead them to Christ.

What am I trying to say in essence?

I'm saying that if we can find passion, we will be able to find purpose, and when we do, we will be able to find our domain and ministry.

These are just my thoughts dad, I know you may counter some or agree to all. But let me pause here, my matric is coming up by weekend but I'm not certain if I'll attend. I feel so uninterested. However, if I change my mind, I'll let you know.

Take Care, Much Love

• Josh

If you missed the first part of this writing, kindly click below to read it;

• Part 1