Occasionally, I will get letters from strangers who would write claiming to...
...be going through some kind of problem or personal crisis, and they think I could help them. And why they would seek me out as opposed to a licensed minister or pastor, I do not know.
Most, of them, I know from experience, are sincere. They truly have issues which need to be addressed. While others are really charlatans who are trying to use some kind of ruse to get me to reply because they're hoping for a souvenir in the form of a letter, or they want to sell my letter on the Internet.
Hey, not everyone is honest. There will always be those who will not hesitate to use deception to get what they want. While it is my responsibility to, as best as possible, try to screen out those who are sincere, from those who are not.
Anyhow, Thomas' letter was filled with confusion and pain. He said he felt like a "lost" soul and that life is meaningless to him. Whether or not he is being truthful, I don't know. But my gut instinct tells me he is sincere. So I took a chance and replied.
And while I won't reveal any further details about Thomas other than what I have written here, I am giving everyone an excerpt of my response to him, a man who is hurting, an individual who needs God in his life. I therefore wrote the following:
Most, of them, I know from experience, are sincere. They truly have issues which need to be addressed. While others are really charlatans who are trying to use some kind of ruse to get me to reply because they're hoping for a souvenir in the form of a letter, or they want to sell my letter on the Internet.
Hey, not everyone is honest. There will always be those who will not hesitate to use deception to get what they want. While it is my responsibility to, as best as possible, try to screen out those who are sincere, from those who are not.
Anyhow, Thomas' letter was filled with confusion and pain. He said he felt like a "lost" soul and that life is meaningless to him. Whether or not he is being truthful, I don't know. But my gut instinct tells me he is sincere. So I took a chance and replied.
And while I won't reveal any further details about Thomas other than what I have written here, I am giving everyone an excerpt of my response to him, a man who is hurting, an individual who needs God in his life. I therefore wrote the following:
| "Dear Thomas. . . I am sorry you are going through some emotional difficulties and struggles. In my opinion, I would say your issues are mostly spiritual. So you need to ask Jesus Christ, to forgive all your sins, and to cleanse away your feelings of guilt and shame. You see, Thomas, every one of us has committed sins of some kind. We have as a result hurt others, and we have hurt ourselves as well. The Bible says we are all guilty of sin; we have all done wrong. So we need to tell God we're sorry and to repent, and turn away from these things, and to humbly ask Jesus to come into our hearts and to make our lives new. "Thomas, all I can do is point you to Christ. He loves you and longs to forgive you and make you, His child. Yes, no matter how bad you feel right now, God understands. He is not going to push you away. He is not going to demand you clean up your life first. Instead, you can come to Him just as you are. "In addition, I want to encourage you to try and find an evangelical church in your area. Chances are, you have caring Christians right in your own community who would be more than willing to befriend you, and to explain to you how to make peace with God, and you will thereby be able to make peace with yourself, too. "This is all up to you, Thomas. It is your choice. But please don't put things off. This is my advice, and I'm praying for you." |
D.B.
