I promise that I will make NO reference to George Michael or Bon Jovi's songs in this piece! This is by far one of the easiest things to tell people, but the hardest to actually follow...having Faith. Two of you can be sitting at a ball game and you're not sure if your team is going to win because right now their losing, but your buddy next hits you in the shoulder and says "Cheer up! Have faith, I'm sure our team will win." We always like to think that is going to be the case, but unfortunately it doesn't always happen. I'm a huge Pittsburgh Penguins fan and I think we'll the Stanley Cup each year, although I know that's not going to be the case. (Go Pens!)
"A leap of faith." A catchy phrase and many times I've actually quoted it myself, but for me to take my own advice is tough because I tend to be in the mind set - 'I can do it by myself'. I like to think that is true; however I've been shown (on many occasions) that is not always the case. I think we all have a tendency to want to have control over things. To be honest, whenever Jaimee is having a hard time on the computer and she calls me to help; but only watch, I feel like grabbing the computer out of her hands and do it myself. Surprisingly, one thing I wish it would happen more would be driving! I don't mind driving, but I do it a lot! For once, I wouldn't mind Jaimee taking the wheel every once in a while...I know it sounds crazy, but true. I guess I have faith in my wife's driving. (Did I just say that?)
With my Asperger's, I do have a bad habit of putting my faith into other people. Granted, I have been let down on numerous occasions, but I seem to want to go right back with them. There are times when someone will betray me badly, and forgiveness can take quite a while to be granted; sometimes...never. (I really shouldn't be like that and it might take years, but many times I will eventually get around to forgiving.) Honestly, as you read above, A LOT of my faith goes into Jaimee. With this disorder, I really rely on her for reminders on lots of things from appointments, chores, events and just simply my attitude. I believe in many ways I'd be lost without her.
My last point on faith is God. I did address this a little in Piece #16 when I spoke about trust, but as I said before, there is a fine line between them. I think for millions of people around the world, this is a very central core of speculation. There are some who believe there is no god. I must admit that how can you look at the birth of a baby, the Grand Canyon, the oceans, or the galaxies and say 'there is no god'? It doesn't make any sense to me. I guess I wonder what those people put their faith in if they don't feel there is a god. For those of you who do believe in god...which one is it? Humans through the centuries have had lots of 'gods' and they were willing to put their complete faith/life into them. The only question I have is do you have the right one? Some of you might question, does it really matter? For what I believe...the answer is, yes. I believe that if you put your complete faith and commitment to Jesus Christ, then you will be saved. (If you don't believe me, read about it in Romans 10:9) Obviously, I can't tell you what to put your faith in, but if you feel lost and don't know where to turn...you could always give Jesus a try. It can't hurt, if nothing else...He could save you. Have faith.
Song of Inspiration [Check it out on iTunes!]:
Song: “God’s Not Dead (Like A Lion)”
Artist: Newsboys
Album: God’s Not Dead
This was me being Baptised at Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas. Mike Snelling was my pastor and my good friend Rodney Hutchison who also got Baptised. Cindy Hutchison (Rodney's wife) took the picture. By the way if the conditions look like it was a rather cool day...it WAS! This was June 1996.
You say you have faith, but would you say you have a relationship with God? Do you think your aspergers effects your ability to have a relationship with God?
ReplyDeleteI have always been a believer even to the point of obsession, but I am not sure I can say I have a relationship with God. I feel my aspergers actually prevents it. Except for my wife, I have absolutley no relationships or friends. (I spent my 40th birthday alone in a bookstore.) I just have no ability to connect with people. You do speak of friends in your posts, so perhaps your challenges are different then mine.
The best answer I can give is yes and no. Yes, I do have the same challenges when it comes to friendship, but no, I have a very close relationship with the Lord. The secret about having a close relationship is your willingness to surrender your life for Jesus; in effect, be born again. Once you have made that committment then that's where the real relationship can begin. It has nothing to do with Asperger's. My twin daughters are Christians and have Asperger's. It doesn't matter how many times you messed up or if you don't have any friends, Jesus will meet you right where you are. I currently don't have a lot of friends, other than my wife and family, but when I did have friends; most of them were from Sunday School classes. Today, most churches have moved away from traditional Sunday schools and instead they have small groups. Since they don't meet on Sunday, it's very difficult to join in.
ReplyDeleteIf you have any more questions, you are always welcome to email me too. (My wife says that having only your wife as a friend can put a lot of pressure on her and it's important to make friends together.)