With all the thousands of religions in the world today; each with its’ own unique and differing belief system; it would be careless of us not to at the very least consider why this situation has evolved in the way that it has.
From the dawn of time, humankind has been searching for something, searching to fill a void that it would seem on the surface anyway, cannot be filled. But what is that void and why are we so desperate to fill it? Purpose, meaning, hope, are just some of the concepts in life we try to understand. Learning how to apply them to our lives on a personal level, a constant challenge! But what is the yearning we have, to fill our lives with something we don’t have; forever seeking something we don’t seem able to find?
New religions and cults continue to emerge, each seeking to find something new that gives meaning to life. Something for the believer to hold on to and to get them through this life; and on to the next. For me there is only one explanation, and that is the one that was there from the very beginning, has endured, remaining constant amid the birth and death of so many religions and theories.
To work out what we are searching for, we need to understand who we are and why we are here. Yes, those questions just keep on popping up, but the answers remain elusive to many. The book of Genesis gives us the simplest and yet the only true answer to these questions.
Genesis 1:26-28
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.
We were created to look like God and to be like Him; in His image and in His likeness! We know we were created to have power over the earth, to look after all things in it and to subdue it. We were created to live in a position of power and not weakness. We received the blessings of God in our lives, as He told us to be fruitful and to multiply… and He gave us the earth. To a certain extent we do those things; though not very well!
So, what then is missing from our lives why does the world keep trying to worship anything and everything. People are creating gods to worship for their finances, their happiness, the weather, the sun god, the moon god; you name it and it exists. Animals have been idolised and turned into gods over the very beings that God created to have power over them. Some of the most heinous, outrageous and evil acts in society were carried out to appease a god, or an idol or the belief that it would secure someone’s place in heaven.
What is the world searching for? Well, God created us as His children, to be in a parent child relationship with us. That is why He says He is our Father; because He is! He loves us and wants us to love Him, in much the same way a parent loves a child and wants that child to love them. He wants us to communicate with Him and share our lives with Him.
In the world, when there is a breakdown in that most important relationship that shapes the rest of our lives, it has a de-stabilising effect not only in the immediate family but also in the broader society. Its’ impact is far reaching. Children need to be taught, nurtured and guided by a parent and without it the child grows up feeling unloved, and seeking for that love in one form or another. The place in the heart where that love should have resided was left empty, void, and cries out to be filled… with something!
In this way too, a breakdown in our relationship with our Father leaves a void which cannot be filled by anyone or anything else. His love is unparalleled and once you experience that love, you will not be satisfied with a substitute; as all else pales in comparison. If you have never experienced that love then there will be an inner urge to go searching for it, although you don’t really know what ‘IT’ is… and that is the position the world is in. Constantly searching for the Father’s love in all the wrong places and substituting it with whatever they find that seems to makes sense to them.
When we walked away from God’s love and chose a different path, we impacted our world so much so, that we could not and still cannot fix it. We turned it upside down, back to front and inside out creating a huge void; where God used to be. But when God reached out to us and gave us a second chance through His Son Jesus Christ; we were able to fill that void with His love once again. However for those who still do not know God’s love; their search continues.
Be Blessed!
I have made so many wrong decisions in life that I desperately try not to remember many of them and do my best not to bring them into my present. Unfortunately, the ones you try to forget and avoid the most are the ones that keep coming back. Then I get frustrated and the harder I try the more they pop into my head and the challenge is on. It is at this point that I remember to take the Lord at His word, literally and to put all my burdens on Him.