Casts of Character

Of late I have been thinking and wondering if the bible was being written now or in my lifetime, would I appear as a character? I may not have the answer to that question but I have learnt to do the best with my life. I am human and I have enough flaws. But again, who of the heroes of faith didn’t have?

Abraham is the father of faith, but he once failed the test of faith when he took a short cut to getting a son. David, a man after God owns heart, committed murder, adultery and such stuff. And Peter, the disciple of Jesus had his own dumb issues. What am I saying?

God has never worked with perfect people. He works with normal human being. But one of the common denominator in all of these characters is their pressing on towards a mark of higher calling. Even after falling short, they rose and pursued God. Another common attribute was faith. Faith is evident in most of these characters by defying their present conditions.

If I were Joseph and my brothers did all they did to him, I wonder how that story would have turned out. But this character Joseph, foolishly believed in God and that faith in his God, kept him all through the trying moments and sustained him in his glorious days. Do I know God?

Look at Joseph the father of Jesus. Your virgin fiancé is all of a sudden pregnant. You know how you have ‘chilled’. And her story is not so convincing. Yet, when the angel of the Lord came through a dream to Joseph that he should not divorce the girl silently, he had faith in God. He didn’t have all the details, but he knew his God. He had faith in Him. That is what I need.

Noah builds the ark for 120 years. People laughed at him until he entered it. Then, it dawned on them. Damn, this old man was all along true. In my generation, I have laughed at my aunt who dresses our little pretty cousins in a turban and long dresses, I laughed at Ras on TV trying to explain his way of life, I have loved at girls saving themselves for marriage, I have laughed at a preacher during our high school CU service. I have laughed at the foolishness of faith.

Though we fall short of the expectation, God is looking at the internal posture. How we view Him. How we perceive him. And so I have learnt to guard my heart, that even when I don’t figure out things, I cannot lose faith in God. After all, we can never please God without faith. That is the secret.

And now that I know, I want to be a character in God’s word for my generation. For whether you like it or not, God uses everyone. He can either use you as an example or a warning.