faithMile

This article contains details about the Dr. Linus episode of LOST. If you haven’t seen the episode and do not wish to be spoiled, please stop reading now.

In the Dr. Linus episode of the television show “LOST” there is wonderful parallel to forgiveness and redemption in Christ. In the show, there is a mysterious, God-like character named Jacob. Jacob appears to several characters in the show, and literally touches them. That touch changes their lives in profound ways. The most dramatic way is that they are drawn to a mysterious island and convinced to do Jacob’s will above all else, making many sacrifices in the process.

Ben Linus makes one such sacrifice, but it proves too much to bear. He unwittingly sacrifices his daughter in order to protect Jacob’s island. Later, when given the chance to kill Jacob – even being told to by Jacob’s enemy – he does the unthinkable. He kills his God. Jacob dies.

But Jacob also has a daughter, Ilana. She is alive and well, and currenlty protecting Jacob’s island as well as all of the people he has touched. Jacob’s daughter finds out that Ben killed Jacob, so she prepares to kill him. To maximize her revenge, she makes him dig his own grave first. While he is digging, he gets a visitor. It’s Jacob’s enemy – the man in black – the one who told Ben to kill Jacob. Jacob’s enemy frees Ben from the shackle that Ilana used to imprison him while he dug. Then, he asks Ben to join him. He walks away – fully expecting Ben to follow. But Jacob’s daughter has noticed that her prey has been loosed and she goes after it. Ben stops her from shootiong him by offering to explain why he killed Jacob. He tells her that he had a daughter and he wathed her die because he chose the island. Jacob’s island. Jacob’s mission. Jacob’swill. He felt that he had lost almost everything. The only thing he had left was his power – and he used it to kill the one who caused him to lose everything else. He regrets this deeply and asks Ilana to let him live.

Ilana, moved, decides not to shoot. Instead, she asks him where he’ll go. He replies that he will join Jacob’s enemy. She asks why. His reply, “Because he’s the only one who’ll have me.” She pauses briefly and then replies: “I’ll have you.” He follows her back into the camp and takes his place as a member.

In our lives, we are also lost, and God provides an answer by telling us to follow him. Follow his lead. Follow his voice. Follow his will. Sacrifice ourselves to his purpose. Hold to nothing. Sacrifice everything. Like Ben, we often experience a crisis of faith. We cry, “We’ve sacrificed, God, but for what?”

In the interim between what we have sacrificed and the “big reveal” that will make it all make sense – that will make our sacrifices and the pain that goes with them, make sense – we doubt. We lose faith. We lose hope. We want to give up and go our own way. To be free. To kill God. Sometimes we do. Sometimes we throw off God’s purpose. We leave the path. We turn. We sin.

But, like Jacob, God has a child, a son, who exists to protect his purpose. God’s son will come to us and confront us with our sin. He reminds that our sin has dug our grave and that we are chanied and deserving death. And when we repent, when we are contrite, when we cry out to be spared and then offer to slink away from the light and join the camp of the enemy because that is where we deserve to be – the one who will have us – we get a similar reaction. The son of God, Jesus, puts away anger. He experiences death for our sake. And, after dying on our behalf, the son of God says to us: “I’ll have you.”

by Dean F. Mapa

Lina beams for the camera. As a backdrop slightly above her head, bold letters emblazon the word, “Congratulations!” Lina was recently graduated from her elementary education at the age of 16 years.
What’s so special about this? Lina is one of the girls at the center for street children I voluntarily work for. Born from a poor family, Lina grew up in the streets without proper nutrition and abused by adults. Because of this she is a slow thinker. She was in fact called “Dumb and Dumber” by the other street children. She couldn’t even steal properly.

Rescued by our center, she was then placed under a UNICEF-sponsored education program in one of the local schools. Lina, against all odds, inched her way from grade to grade and finally received her certificate of graduation. It was, indeed, a prized possession for her!

How did she do it and what can we learn from this former street urchin?

She didn’t allow herself to be influenced by others’ talk. Her street peers thought she couldn’t do it. She was called names. They judged her hopeless. She refused to listen and instead pressed on. She listened to her own heart, which told her she could do it.
She developed positive thought. She knew she was a slow thinker, but she didn’t waste mental energy in confirming this. Instead she sought to convince herself that education was important and the more she learned, the faster she would be able to think. She sought to train her mind.
She wasn’t afraid. She didn’t allow the environment from whence she came to instill fear in her to go to school, a totally different world from the “education” of the streets. Yes, she was apprehensive at first, but she used this as a launching pad for her determination.
She lived one day at a time. Asked teasingly what her secret was when she received her certificate, she answered: “I went to school each day.” Indeed, the graduation was a cherished goal, but to get there she had to start and finish each school day.
The resources to achieve our goals are already within us. Lina, although it can be said had nothing, now has the best thing after all: the heart to achieve. Now, watch her conquer the world!

Dean F. Mapa is a writer, motivational speaker and inspirational coach. Visit his Web site, www.be-inspired.org.

by Katryna Starks

How far should you go sexually with the one you love?

Believe it or not, God wants you to have sex with the one you love. Really. He does.

He just wants you to get married first.

I recently encountered a man who finds me attractive and likes my personality. We even share many of the same interests. That man decided not to pursue a dating relationship with me because I won’t have sex before I am married. His reasoning was clear: “I respect your beliefs, but when I fall in love, it will be forever. I hope that person will love me and respect me and choose to know everything about me. And making love is part of knowing the whole, complete person you deeply care about.”

The funny thing is, I agree with him 100%. I, too, want to find the one I’ll be with forever. And when I find him, I want to know him in all ways – including sexually. After the wedding.

It seems that in today’s society, people (including Christians) are actively avoiding marriage. For instance, Christian couples often ask the question “if you love someone, how far can you ‘go’ without sinning?” The answer is: you can go straight up the aisle.

If you’re really in love, why would you not marry? As a matter of fact, engaged couples might have the least temptation of all. Let’s say that Jim and Tasha are engaged and they will be married on February 14. No doubt, Jim and Tasha have very strong sexual feelings for each other, but they know that this sexual tension won’t last forever. As a matter of fact, it will only last until February 14. After that, they can have as much sex as they want. I don’t mean to trivialize temptation for engaged couples, but it seems that waiting would be easier if you know you won’t have to do it forever. If you leave the relationship open-ended for an extended period of time, that’s when it’s the most difficult to wait.

But let’s say that a couple isn’t ready for marriage. The two are just dating. In that case, they probably don’t fit the full criteria of “in love”. They are probably in “really strong like” with a case of lust on the side. But is that the ideal situation to have sex in? I’ve heard couple’s say things like “We love each other, but we’re not in a hurry to get married or anything.” In that case, they don’t love each other enough to have sex. By not wanting to get married, they are basically admitting that they are not sure that they are with “the one”. After all, if you found “the one” that you wanted to spend your life with, why would you balk at a commitment that signifies you sharing your life? And, if you aren’t sure enough to get married, how are you “sure” enough to have sex?

God created marriage to be a loving union that fulfills many of our needs – including sex. He knows we want sex and he doesn’t have a problem with our sexuality. It’s our lack of commitment that keeps us out of his will.

So, when you find the love of your life, go all the way – to the altar!