John Shore has a post about Chad Holtz entitled Chad Holtz now believes in hell. As to homosexuality . . . ?
You can read John's post or do an online search to get more information
about Chad Holtz, but what I want to highlight here is an insightful
comment under John's post by sdparris.
Whether it is applicable to Chad's situation or not, I think that it
contains wisdom when it comes to recovery, meeting life on life's terms,
and facing life's challenges:
"You are in the triumphant phase. You played by the rules and it
worked. You’ve conquered the beast, in a way, making all things right in
the world, or so it seems. It[']s a great feeling and right now
everything lines up.
"Why do we say let[']s see what happens in
six months? Because that is when the afterglow starts to wear off and
life starts becoming real again. What got us into the mess to begin with
rears its head again, and we find ourselves once again struggling. If,
as you said, you had an addiction, expect it to happen. Its rarely a one
time shot, but something people have to make conscious choices over for
a while, sometimes for a lifetime. God sure can help you with the
struggle, but the choice is ultimately yours...
"Expect life to continue to throw you curves. Your marriage took a
big hit. Your relationship with your friend and family is altered.
Hopefully for the better, we all want that, but experience has taught
several of us that reality often is not what we want. I do hope your
relationships continue to be strong and thriving.
"Life is the
ultimate lesson plan, sometimes we ace the tests, sometimes we get F’s.
Thankfully, we often get to retake those failed tests. The trick is to
not get the same grade next time, which can be easier said then
done…Personally, I keep making Fs or D- on the 'do not worry' quiz.
"Finally,
if hell is the capstone belief of the Christian faith, then I must ask,
for what purpose does it serve? And why is it so important to you? Does
it matter that you have decided to go the conformist way and others
haven’t? Is one’s belief in a horrible afterlife that important? Or is
it something else that is important: that freedom in Christ, the
realization that He loves us where we are, where we were, where we will
be, warts and all? To me the concept of hell is of far lesser importance
then the concept of life, living it as best we can, with the purpose of
Loving God with all that I am, and my neighbor as best as I can (which
is somewhat impossible at times despite best efforts)."
I
especially appreciated the part about life giving us tests. I feel bad
when I look back at the mistakes I have made, especially when it comes
to social faux-pas. But, fortunately, life gives me opportunities to do
things better the next time.