I feel sad

I was reading through my daily list of blogs, and came across this one. It breaks my heart that people have to deal with situations like this, and are so completely turned off that they just turn the opposite direction.

I have been a Christian my whole life. My dad is a minister, my grandfather was a minister. They both ministered at the same church, at the same time. I've dealt with some of the same garbage that she spoke about on her blog. So what makes one person turn away, while another perseveres? As I ask this question, I'm sitting here without an answer. Is it a personality issue? Is it how they're raised? The family life they've lived?

I've come to a possible conclusion over time as I've watched friends I grew up with fade away from church, and possibly God. I think often times that parents who are all encompassed with church activities allow the church to raise their children. They think their kids are getting everything they need out of Sunday School, and youth group, and Wednesday night programs, and church camp, and so on, and so on, and so on. Nothing is really being taught at home. And so with no true foundation from their parents for their faith, it is easy for these children-turned-adults to walk away. Does this resonate with anyone? Maybe I'm completely off base.

For our family, it was so important to our parents to spend quality time with us. We had a regular family night, and we would do everything from read a book together to going out to a drive-in movie (remember those?). We talked and still do about everything spiritual, and church-related, be it good or bad. I looked to my parents when my world was falling down around me, and they pointed me towards God. Although people will constantly fail you, God won't. That's hard to remember when the people are physically right in front of you, beating you up spiritually and emotionally, and God is invisible and letting you go through it. God is not a God of hate or injustice or anger. But he does let us go through trials. Our part in this covenant we have with him is how do we handle these trials? I'll say on my part, not very well.

When I read the post that woman wrote, my immediate, off-the-cuff, emotional reaction was to tell her that she hadn't been strong enough, and that if she was a true Christian she would understand that God doesn't approve of people like those that hurt her and she should stand above it all and be the Christian that God wants her to be! Of course that is exactly the wrong thing to say. I know that. It would just turn her off more. Instead, I just sat in shock as I read her post and all the comments that ensued, and knew that nothing I could ever say would change her mind. My heart hurts, and I feel like crying. How can you tell someone like this that it doesn't have to be that way?