The reason why I say this is that gullible and hurting people are often burned by optimistic news, taking what pastors, television evangelists or faith healers say as gospel, as if these words came straight out of Jesus’ mouth. Back in February of 2012, I began to hear countless testimonies, people who reached out to the parents of Joseph Feeley, one of my former students who had been battling cancer for 2 years. Though I believe each had good intentions, they were proved wrong when Joseph went to be home with the Lord on February 27th, less than a month after confidently proclaiming Joseph would be healed, traveling throughout the country as a motivational speaker.
Six months later, I received a similar message at a Christian bookstore in Delaware. Since I was still searching for a full time job, I was vulnerable, grasping at straws for anything positive. When I wrote a blog on this encounter in late August of 2012, I was hopeful the words of this prophet might come true, “God will reward you with a great paying job, surpassing your wildest imagination.” Unfortunately, this grandois prophecy did not occur within the time table give but who knows, maybe my position at Amazon could turn into something special. However, like the Feeley family, I am still in a lot of pain, disappointed by the outcome of my current path.
Instead of crying over spilled milk, I won’t give up on chasing my dreams of becoming a novelist, screen writer or both. In future blogs, I will be careful not to exploit anyone with promises unless I am certain of a specific message, truth or word of insight people need to hear. The lesson to be learned from this blog is to dot your i’s and cross your t’s, ensuring your words don’t inflict false hope to a world searching for answers. May these words, stirring within my heart, strike a cord, helping you to reflect before blotting out any words in the future.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 