Tina's TEOTWAWKI Journal, Day 29

Those of you my age and older, and maybe a little bit younger (I'm 56) will remember how Walter Cronkite used to end his CBS Evening News broadcasts during 1980:  "And that's the way it is, [date], the [number] day of captivity for the hostages in Iran."  (Those of you born in 1970 or after, check out this Wikipedia article.)

That's sort of how I feel in counting down the days in semi-quarantine, semi-lockdown, whatever it is you want to call it. 

I've been sick for the last couple of days.  Fortunately, I'm on the mend today and will get back into some sort of routine.  I want to start writing again, start blogging again in a consistent way.  I have my frustrations with religion (hopefully, not with God or with Jesus).  He is good.  His followers, including myself, leave much to be desired at times. 

Today is Good Friday.  Christians take today to remember the death of Jesus on the cross.  Theologians wiser and more educated than I am have spilled thousands of gallons of ink to explain all of the implications of Jesus' death on the cross.  I have a reasonably high IQ, and to be honest, I just prefer some very simple explanations at times. 

Jesus died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for our sins -- for the bad things we do, for the ways in which we disappoint and displease God.  He did this because he chose to. He was perfect because He was God in the flesh.  God raised Him from the dead as the final victory over death.  If we believe that, if we decide that we want to do what pleases God, and we are sorry for doing what doesn't please God, we can turn to Him and say, I'm sorry for doing things that don't please you.  I want to live a life that pleases You and I need Your help to do it.  I can't do this in my own power and strength.  I need you.  And then, to show that commitment, to show that decision, we are baptized.  (I know there are differing understandings and interpretations of baptism and the necessity of baptism.  My understanding that is that "baptism" means "immersion in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of your sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit; according to Acts 2:38 and Matthew 28:18-20.) 

And once we turn to God, He gives us the Holy Spirit to help us live as He wants us to.  His first and greatest command is to love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love others as we love ourselves.  From that flows everything we are to do as Christians.

If you read my blog, if you read my social media posts, if you know me in real life, you will also know that I fall short more times than I want to admit I do.  I wish I did not.  I hurt people.  I struggle with holding grudges and with forgiving people who have hurt me.  I often think I am better than 'those people', whoever 'those people' happen to be at that particular moment.  I lose my patience with people, especially with family!  I get angry at God and demand that He explain himself.  My study of the Bible leaves much to be desired at times.  And even if I'm able to have a day where I behave perfectly . . . well, there are always the things I know to do and don't do, which, according to James 4:17,  is sin.

But there is also grace.  There is also forgiveness.  Neither of which I have earned by my good deeds.  And no, I don't want to abuse grace by saying, "I can do whatever I want because there's always grace and God will forgive!"  But I need grace because I am a sinner, I have a sinful nature, and I cannot just simply gut it out, tough it out, suck it up, make plans, lists, how-to's, to-do's, etc. to keep from sinning.  I need someone outside myself. 

Which is why I am grateful for grace.  Thankful for Good Friday and for Easter Sunday, for a God who gives it freely without demanding my performance in order to earn it.

Okay, that's my Good Friday meditation. 

But in keeping with the theme of snark, let's end with our theme song:

It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it
And I feel fine!

Just my .04, adjusted for inflation.