My Jesus-colored glasses

Yesterday, I attended my grandfather’s funeral. He was 76 years old and had a short but intense battle with cancer. At the service, I shared some of my memories and experiences with him. It was he, after all, who helped shape me spiritually. As I looked at my family, I made a stark realization.
In church, we talk often about looking at the world through the filter of Jesus. What would Jesus Do? But, how do we, as God’s children, look at Jesus? What filter do we use?
To put it in context, consider a little girl in an impoverished area of Africa. She is 8 years old and has known only suffering her entire life. Both parents have died from AIDS or famine and it is only her and her 3 year old brother left to fend for themselves. Why this particular situation?
Pat Robertson of “The 700 Club” was posed this question: Would the above mentioned girl get into Heaven if she died even if she had never accepted Jesus as her personal saviour? His answer was disturbing. No. She would have to realize that Jesus is her saviour and God is her creator and be thankful for her lot in life.
Now, I am paraphrasing his response, but what exactly should she be thankful for? Should she be thankful she was born into extreme poverty? Perhaps she should be thankful for losing her parents so young…This is the same man that said the Haitian earthquake a few years ago was the result of a deal with the devil the Haitians made a couple of hundred years ago…I’m not making that up!
Our mission as Christians is to spread God’s word and exemplify love throughout the world. In his statements, Pat Robertson did neither. In one moment, he managed add to the growing number of unbelievers in America.
This is NOT Jesus. This is NOT God. I can not and do not believe that He who spoke the universe into being would tie up the grace and mercy Jesus died to give us in some ridiculous legalism. Isn’t that one of the things Jesus tried to change?
This is what I mean when I talk about the filter we use to look at Jesus. What are our life experiences, and how do they affect our relationship with God?
Coming back to the funeral, I listened to the minister speak of my Grandfather’s love for Jesus and how he was a student of the Bible. It’s a common funeral theme, really. I have been to many funerals where the minister speaks about how the deceased loved Jesus and he was at rest with the Son of God. I know of one funeral I attended where I knew, that was not the case.
In the coming weeks, I want to explore and discuss this idea of a particular life situation affecting and even controlling our relationship with God. I hope you join me, as this is a far cry from many of my previous posts. But, it is on my heart, and I would love to hear what you have to say, agreeing or disagreeing.