By: Margaret Brown
IT SEEMS that the perception of Christ is as varied as the people that have faith in him. While for some, the presence of God may be seen clearly within the mind’s eye, to others He is veiled in mystery.
To seek this Divinity of which others are so certain and for whom many wars have been fought, is the beginning of a journey that has no turning back.
Children used to be brought up to fear God, say their prayers and trust in the comfort of His love. Where such teaching is omitted, a child has only its own limited resources for dealing with the slings and arrows of growing up. If home becomes a battleground and not a sanctuary, a young person often becomes one against the world.
With broken homes and the steady decline of law and order seen on city streets in the UK recently, Anti Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOS) have been imposed on the unruly. No single failure can be blamed for social decay, but a return to the days when children were taught to love and respect God and their parents, within the family circle, may not be possible.
While modern thinking actively questions the existence of a caring Creator, there remains the human need to worship. Ancient people followed many Gods, each of which was thought to bless one aspect of life, such as fertility or harvest. Having diversified from monotheism into the worship of money, power and prestige, none of which can satisfy the hungry soul of 21st century mankind, there is a greater need than ever for the God of our grandfathers. We have the Bible and a great body of Christians ready to help. Read: Ephesians six, verses 10 to17.
