The Past & Now

One of the strange (to me at least) things happening in our world today is the attempt to erase history. So many in the main stream, want everything that was evil or sometimes simply not to their personal liking, eliminated from our memories. Statues are often the favourite target because they are reminders of less than honourable events from years past. The problem as I see it, is that people don't seem to understand that we should learn from the past mistakes and not necessarily act like they never happened.

I may not win that argument with some of you, yet I know many of my friends will agree with me. I have often told people that I am who I am today, because of my past. Both the good and the bad have shaped my life. As a Christian, my life and my future were automatically changed the moment I accepted Jesus as my saviour. However, I never pretend that my life for almost 17 years, never happened. I did some bad things and my hope is that my friends won't turn their backs on me because of what I once did. The honest truth is, that I am still far from perfect.

My cousin Marty visited me this past weekend and I brought out numerous old photos saved on my cell phone. The photos went as far back as baby pictures of the two of us. We have lived two very different lives and yet the fact our moms were sisters meant our early years were spent together quite often. Marty was actually the person who drove me to the youth camp where I gave my life to Jesus in 1971. 

There is a saying in Christian circles that goes like this: "I am a sinner saved by grace". Believe it or not, some Christians don't like that saying because "we" are no longer sinners. What those folks fail to grasp, is that it is a statement which acknowledges our need of a Saviour, including the years following our conversion.

When people who aren't followers of Jesus, call me "religious", I cringe. I really do. I have spoken on this topic often and reminded all of us that Jesus did not get along with "religious" leaders of his day. When folks at long term care and with the police where I am a chaplain, call me "Father", I jokingly (sort of) respond: "only to my 3 children". Many of the Catholic faith do not get the joke. Many in the Church today still want to sound "religious" because they think others will be impressed with their Christian "jargon". I think that most are turned off by it: I am almost positive Jesus would be.

Getting back to the erasing of history...don't get the wrong idea of what I am saying. My past and that of the billions who have been, who are and will one day be, followers of Jesus, is the absolute most important thing in my life. However, it has nothing to do with "religion" but rather a personal relationship with the One who created me. Man has been trying to pretend that God doesn't exist for centuries, so if you are in that camp, trust me when I say, it's been tried over and over again. It's not some fad or some political ideology like Communism, that has died in most places. Man even killed Jesus but all that did was make a way for us to get to heaven and eternal life.

Baptist Church leaders meeting in 1987 while still under Communist rule. The young visitor on the right is me.

My friends Allan, Märt and Harry, went to the birthplace of my parents in 1990, and re-established the Pentecostal Church in the country of Estonia. During the 50 years of Soviet rule, the Church had gone virtually underground but it had not died. That's because Jesus lives! That is a history that nobody will ever be able to extinguish, no matter how hard they try. Changed lives will never allow that to happen.

Hillar Alkok

Chaplain

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