And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:7
A couple of years ago, when I was going into a school for troubled boys, most of whom were dealing with sexual issues, a little boy asked me, “why do people go to hell?”
I didn't have an answer for him. The thought that kept spinning around in my mind was that this little boy has already experienced hell.
And I wonder about this world sometimes, where man fights man, Christian fights Christian, tempers flair, arguments rage on, and I think, “what a hellish way to live.”
And I look around at our planet filled with hungry, poor, grieving, wanting people and wonder “isn't this what hell would dish out?”
And then there are people living in their own hells of anger, anxiety, and fear.
Really, if hell is a place, I'm thinking we've got it right here on earth, where there is plenty of weeping and gnashing of teeth.
But all of that is not the traditional view of hell, which is not a hell of our own making.
I can't wrap my head around the traditional view of hell, where people are condemned for eternity.
But then, as I read the verse above tonight, I realized I don't have to. I don't have to understand anything. I just need to trust my loving God, who doesn't want anyone to perish, who came into this hellish world and showed us a better way to live, and there is peace in that.
Peace. That I don't have to have all the answers.
I don't have to have any answers, really.
Posted with Blogsy