7/15/19 Hani (see HERE)
Hello Hani! If you
see this, it’s my only way of communicating with you since I didn’t get your
phone number. We both knew going into
our conversation that you could be called for an Uber run at any minute. Thanks for attempting to go on break once you
realized that our conversation would be about something important to you, even
though the request didn’t register with Uber and you were called to a job
anyway.
This is my first follow-up post written directly to the
person I talked to, but since our conversation was cut short I wanted to let
you know why I think it is an important conversation to finish. As a Muslim who has explored other religious
beliefs and now returned to, but not practicing, Islam, you stated at the
outset that you believed one should just live out this life without much regard
for the next. Yet, by your interest in
our conversation I could tell that this is a topic near to your heart.
We didn’t get to talk long but from our short conversation I
believe you to have mixed feelings about the importance of concerns about one’s
eternal destiny. On the one hand, as a
person of faith, you believe you have an eternal soul that will exist forever,
whether in a right relationship with God in heaven or experiencing the wrath of
God in hell. Its an eternal fate worthy
of concern, yet because you believe this destiny depends on one’s good deeds
and actions in life, the very act of being overly concerned about reward and
punishment can be seen as spoiling your ability to do good with pure motives.
Hani, if my guess as to your mixed feelings is correct, you
are not alone! Many people of all faiths
who trust in their good deeds for salvation face the same dilemma. To be guilty of selfish thinking and being so
“heavenly minded as to be of no earthly good” is a common fear, and if our
eternal fate depends on our pure motives in doing good in life, then it would
be a justifiable concern.
But our Christian Bible says that God “is a rewarder of
those who earnestly seek Him”. Our chief
pursuit is not religion, but a relationship with God, whom Jesus teaches us to
refer to as “our heavenly Father”. In
fact, Jesus taught that some people who will be denied entrance into the
Kingdom of heaven will be very religious, but turned away because of the lack
of relationship with God. He said in
Matthew 7:21: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom
of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
If we stop reading there it can sound like heaven is
something we earn with good deeds, because we assume that the will of God is
first and foremost that we work on good behavior. But read on, and you will see that the “will
of my Father who is in heaven” centers more around relationship: “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord,
Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in
your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew
you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
And this is where I think it is wrong to assume that the
pursuit of heaven should always be seen as selfish. Jesus said “Now this is eternal life: that
they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17)
There is nothing selfish about pursuing a relationship with our Creator,
rather than a religion that might bring us a better afterlife.
Hani, to know God is so much more than rules and rituals,
and I think deep down you know this, which is why you have searched other
religions and why you can’t commit yourself fully to Islam now. You don’t want religion, you want
relationship, and that is what we are able to have with God through Jesus,
because he alone conquered sin, death, and the grave. His death made possible the forgiveness of
our sins, and his resurrection makes possible an ongoing relationship with our
risen Lord.
We have so much more to talk about! Hani, I do hope you will call me and let’s
finish the conversation!
Thanks for allowing me to record our short conversation Hani! It can be seen HERE at https://youtu.be/sBzU3FlvZfo
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