It's funny how other people often see things you don't about yourself, isn't it?
Richard, a local Baha'i here in South Korea, has said much the same thing. He's been tremendously excited about how quickly I am grasping the whole notion of being Baha'i and so much of what that encompasses. My friend Jerry, my first Baha'i friend, was thrilled with my interest in the Faith, and has told me all along that I was born a Baha'i, and he's quite impressed with how naturally it all comes to me.
I stumbled across information about the Baha'i faith as early as eleven years old. I've been searching for a faith I can believe in a few years longer than that. The faith popped in and out of my life over the years, but it didn't really take hold until I'd stopped drinking on my own, and began to make some pretty major life changes already. That's when Jerry came into my life via military email, and things just blossomed from there.
To me, it IS natural. I talk to people about race and faith almost daily. It's so strange to see this flawed human being in the mirror, but to be able to see exactly why God needed to put me through all He did. I understand why I've been through all I have, because I am truly doing His work when I understand other people, and when I understand their struggles. I'm by no means perfect, but I haven't met a soul who was perfect yet. Besides, a perfect person would be too intimidating to talk to, anyhow.
My boyfriend, Honor, is Christian. I had been worried about this at first, because he got very defensive the first time I brought it up. (He smokes, drinks and swears.) I asked him about this last night, and he explained that he doesn't follow it as he's supposed to, so it's hard for him to talk about. He doesn't like that he has these bad habits, but it's hard for him to break them when he's surrounded by people who do the same things. I remember what it was like when I quit drinking, and boy do I know how he feels. Last night, though, he took his first big step (and he doesn't realize yet how big the first one is, but it's a doozy!) and, after having agreed to go drink with his friend, he told her plans were off. She was upset, but he stuck to his guns, and I'm proud of him. He made that decision for himself, and he did it right. It will only get easier now that he knows what to expect, though I think it'll be a bit before he's able to quit completely. When he gets back from Leave, we will go to the Friday night Contemporary (Christian) worship service. I think this knocks out two birds with one stone- one less chance to drink, and gets him back in the Christian community here, amongst people he should be networked with already. He's a good man, but he's still a little lost. Aren't we all, though?
We had an interesting conversation surrounding Timothy 2:12 last night, as well, as he is another Christian who believes in literal translations. It's been too long since I've read the bible regularly, but I had stumbled across this post over at One Baha'i (I'm a big fan of Mead's blog) and I was determined to remember that. It gave us a great conversation about literal vs. intended meaning, and he understood where I was coming from afterwards. He wasn't defensive, and we had a great after dinner conversation.
More to follow!
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