Losing a Friend

I really enjoyed the Gospels. For me, it seemed the mood in Matthew, Mark. Luke and John was happy. Jesus had finally come, even though the people of the time did not exactly know that. To any Christian, I think Jesus is the symbol of their faith. I'm no different in that respect. And this was what the big buildup was all about.

In these 4 books, it's like you meet a new friend whom you discover you've come to love. You relish the moments you get to spend with him and are excited to learn more about him. Hearing what he has to say is a pleasure and you find yourself wanting more. I didn't care for the large amount of repetition (It seemed Matthew, Mark, Luke and John could have just divvied up the parables instead of all of them reporting on everything. Maybe they couldn't decide who would write what.) but that was my only complaint.

But then, as is often the case in life, it all comes to an end. In Acts, Jesus is taken up to Heaven and no longer physically with the people on Earth. I found this book to be similar to losing a friend. I've lost a lot of people in my life, whether it be to death or simply moves to faraway places and I noticed that reading the books after the Gospels, I felt a familiar sadness that comes with losing someone I love. As I was reading Acts and Romans, I couldn't help but think of the "good old days" of reading the Gospels when Jesus was among the people. It made me sad to continue reading because the good part was already over.

I've noticed that now, even more than when I was struggling through the Old Testament, I just want to be done. I don't want to read any more. Thankfully, I don't have much more to read. But I have a feeling getting through the next 75 pages might be even harder than getting through the first 973 was.