Skeptic or Cynic, that is the question

So in a previous "post" I stated that I was a cynic about 'causes'...which in part is true. I WAS a cynic about many causes before Jesus pierced my heart. I am STILL cynical about causes rooted in ignorance or prejudice instead of passion and righteousness. Yes, I still believe passion and righteousness are a personal experience, meaning, what I am passionate about may be loathesome to you.

With that in mind, I was in Books-A-Million last night and while my niece hunted her newest "read", I did my routine of a quick trot through CLEARANCE (a bargain hunter at heart) and then into the category of "Christian Living" which always seems a bit dichotomous to me in title. Who and HOW are these categories named and books selected for these sections....another post....another day....Anyway, I picked up a few books to peruse and found one of their comfy easy chairs and started reviewing a number of books that had caught my eye. One that pulled my attention had something in the title about "Have you lost faith in the church, but not in Jesus?" I heard my heart weakly mumble: "Kim, just look at it." Who am I to question the mumbling of my heart? So, I picked it up.

The opening pages discussed the difference between a cynic and a skeptic. The author summarized this, as we should most "labels", with the question; what is the motivation of my heart? Is it to destroy and breakdown, as a cynic does; or is it in seeking to understand as a skeptic. Will I adopt this idea to my personal beliefs or simply learn from something I don't ecessarily embrace but do need to learn...in order not to walk in ignorance? Either way, "knowledge is power."

I have found that many prejudices (as I hinted at above) are rooted in ignorance or lack of knowledge. I didn't have to take a very deep look at the things and PEOPLE I "judged" to find that my judgment was based more in not knowing their "story" then in the self-named truth (i.e. label) I had assigned to their behavior. As with most of my story, it is a daily struggle internally not to jump on the judgment bandwagon. I may not be the one that judges poverty and illiteracy and other HUGE causes, rather I find myself judging churches, denominations, and self-proclaimed "CHRISTIANS" that walk in LIES. Careful, Kim, I feel some heartstrings being plucked.

I desire to see this change in myself so that I can be a conduit to truth, instead of judgment. I desire to see this change in others, that God has brought to the door of my story, so that their lives can and will be changed.