So for the first time in like two years, I think I’ve come down with something. Turns out rinsing a spoon off with hot water probably isn’t enough to kill my roommate’s bacteria. Oh well, once again, that is a lesson I already knew and didn't need to learn again.
I had a long conversation with my marine friend last night. “My testimony came from watching a man’s eyes roll back as he fell over. I went back to base and got on my knees because I had to know if I’d done a bad thing. Had I taken this man’s only chance? Had I single-handedly sent him to Hell? My testimony never could have come from a ‘positive’ experiences.”
From a guy who won’t hesitate to tell you how much he hates Pakistanis and Muslims, it was nice to see a bit more of his true feelings.
I often wonder how much of the normal “testimony” is conditioned lip service. Yep, most people don’t have the opportunity to take another’s life, and that’s a good thing. We have to build our testimonies from other things. I wonder how often people form testimonies from virtually nothing because they just want it. I do believe that God can talk to anyone. I must be careful not to discount the testimonies of people out here, but at the same time, I have trouble believing them sometimes.
Everything good about me; every bit of strength of character and testimony I’ve built over the past ten years has come from blood, sweat, and tears. It seems like the worst some people have seen is a grandmother dieing of cancer or a family member getting divorced. How can you build your soul from such “trials.” How can a person claim to have done so? It’s no wonder many out here live in a fantasy land. They have no reason not to. I must remember that people are to be served and loved, not judged and despised. Everyone encounters the dark roads, eventually.
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