Dear American Buddhist,
I met you on the street this 4th of July as I was passing out flyers for my home church. I stood there next to the hula hoops, hoping to catch little ones as they are often more comfortable to talk to. I talked to your little girl and complimented her glittery, pink face paint. Somehow, God led me into a conversation with you, as you read through the flyer I had just given you. I remember distinctly the moment that you told me that you felt Buddhism was the only religion in which the people wanted nothing from you. I recalled it so vividly because it grieved me to know that my Christian brothers and sisters had let you down. I tried to tell you about how I believed that Jesus paid the price and wanted nothing from us but God knew that you’d heard it all before so he shut me up and I let you do the talking for a while. I did nothing but ask questions and find out more about what you believed before you went on your way.
You told me all about the research you did before you chose Buddhism. Thus, I knew you were probably aware of any argument I could attempt to make and I felt the Spirit leading me to just listen. You talked mostly about how peaceful monks are and how good your karma was, especially when I asked if you needed prayer. You also mentioned how you respect all religions and that, as long as people believe in something, they were set.
It seems to me that you know what peace is but you don’t know that someone created the most powerful peace anyone could ever know. You have many valid points with which I certainly do I agree. You’re almost there. You have all the details figured out but, I believe, if you zoom out and see the big picture, you’ll see that there’s someone who created it all. You’ll realize that you can’t have “good karma” all on your own because we weren’t made to follow a moral code. We were made to live as part of one gigantic story.
We all having a craving to worship something, to believe in something because that’s what God made us to do and to be. You searched as everyone searches to find something to worship that didn’t require anything from you. It truly grieves me to see you walk in bondage to morals without even knowing it. It makes me even sadder to know that it was my Christian brothers and sisters that lead you to believe that Jesus Christ wanted something from you. If you find it in you to pick up the Bible and read it again, I promise you, Christ’s life says something different and I pray that my life said something different to you.
In my own life, I tried to do everything right for most of my life. I thought that if I could just be good enough then good things would finally happen to me but I can tell you that, that wasn’t the case. I experienced more hardship when I tried to fix it myself then when I finally started to let go of control and just be a part of God’s grand story. That’s really all He expects of us. He simply wants us to be and let Him do all the work.
Thank you for sharing your belief with me. I pray that one day you find greater peace in the Father where there truly are no strings attached.
Sincerely,
An American Christian
P.S. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NASB) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Some photos of the team of people I was with that day:
