"Why" shouldn't matter

I recently read an editorial on Relevant Magazine's web site, and it stimulated in me a reaction. (To read part one of the article, click here: http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life_article.php?id=7233)

I am hoping the writer provides answers to some of the questions he poses in his follow up next week, but let me offer my perspective. There was one passage at the end of the article I'd like to explore further. Curt Lamm is the author, and he offered this as reaction to suffering in the world in which we live.

But honestly, is that ever the first reaction when a small child is raped and murdered? “Well, we live in a fallen and sinful world that has ramifications going back to the dawn of man’s disobedience.” If that is ever my first thought, then please put me out of my misery, because that is what I will have become … miserable.

It's an interesting perspective, but depressing as well. Asking to be put out of one's misery simply because you don't like the answer...? I don't know. One may not like the answer, but I'm not sure there is much to argue about, unless you simply don't like how simplistic and scripted the answer is.

But how else do you explain suffering except in the context of the sinful world in which we live? Before man sinned, this world was perfect. The land produced fruit and vegetation - and God saw that it was good. He created birds and fish and animals - and again saw it was good. And then he created man to rule over the animals and to enjoy the fruits of God's creation - and once again, God saw it was good.

Man had it all - except one thing. He was man, and not God. But, Satan said that by eating the forbidden fruit, man would have knowledge and "be like God." (Genesis 3:5) And so man fell to temptation and a life of sin - and things changed. The ground was cursed - man would now painfully toil to earn the food he would enjoy. Woman was cursed with tremendous pain during child bearing. God was rightfully livid.

And so, here we are. Sin is still pervasive, and man still is toiling to overcome it's grasp. And one result is unexplainable suffering. Children are born with various afflictions, innocent families are killed in the depths of war, and untold millions die as a result of starvation and thirst. It's not pretty, it's not nice, it's not good. But we had "good" and we messed it up.

See, Jesus came to bring forgiveness for our sins, but he didn't come to remove sin. It's still here, and we lose to sin every single day.

What I find ironic is that Mr. Lamm's struggle seems to be that he has no answers. The initial cause of man's sin, the desire to have the same knowledge as God, is still rooted deep in each of us. It drives us crazy that we don't know why people have to suffer, especially seemingly innocent people. We want to know why, and we want to know right now damn it.

But it's not our place to know. We may have questions, but we certainly shouldn't think we deserve any answers.

We are to be obedient. We are to ask forgiveness when we sin. We are to model our behavior after Jesus, knowing He is the only way we can enter God's house. At that point, God willing, maybe we'll learn why. But until that time, it really doesn't or shouldn't matter.

I'm not trying to take Mr. Lamm to task. Quite frankly, I think it's a great article, and I look forward to reading his follow up post. I agree with him that too often, we go through the motions of our daily lives, forgetting or ignoring that we are to live like Jesus. We turn away from those in need, don't extend a hand to those suffering.

And maybe that's why there is suffering - because God sees our indifference. We need to move beyond "why is their suffering" and toward "what can I do to ease the suffering?" It is my responsibility to do something, to help "the least of those" as Jesus has instructed us. And I think Mr. Lamm and I share that sentiment.

Needing Grace in the Mideast

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men."
1 Titus 2:11

After decades of conflict in the Middle East, most have come to the conclusion that there will never be peace. Pride, arrogance, hate and revenge fuel murder and destruction. And the cycle goes on...and on...and on.

In my opinion, one of the greatest movies ever made was The Godfather. Setting aside the great acting, wonderful direction, etc., the general theme in the movie was simply - 'if you hit me, I'll hit you back harder'. You try to kill my father, I'll kill you. You kill my new wife, I'll destroy you and everyone associated with you.

And so it goes in Israel and the Middle East. The latest flare-up was sparked when Hezbollah guerrillas kidnapped two Israeli soldiers. According to Hezbollah, this was done in retaliation for the thousands imprisoned in Israel, including a murderer named Samir Kuntar, who Hezbollah is asking for in a prisoner swap. In 1979, Kuntar held a family hostage in Israel, ultimately killing a father and his four-year-old daughter. I'm not sure of Kuntar's motives, but my guess in reading about the history of this conflict is that he'd say he was doing this to get even with Israel for one of their aggressive military maneuvers. And Israelis would say their actions, for example the Six Day War in 1967, when Israel took pre-emptive actions against Egypt and others, was to ensure their survival. And the cycle goes on...and on...and on.

What can stop this insane cycle of violence? Really there are two options, and only two. The first is that one side in this conflict completely destroys the other, leaving no remnants alive to exact revenge at some later date. Without a total destruction of their enemy, the victor lives in fear, knowing full well they could strike back at any time. When Solozzo failed to kill Vito Corleone, it was simply a matter of time before revenge would be enacted. The previously innocent Michael finished Solozzo off with a bullet to the head.

The other option is that both sides extend grace and forgiveness to the other. Their history is filled with violence, murder, destruction - both sides have lost incredibly. Neither can ever make the other whole. Yet, by unconditionally forgiving each other, and removing the need for yet another payback, there may be the glimmer of hope for peace in the Middle East. Naive? Maybe. But what are the options? The first option would ensure a global war, resulting in millions of deaths, untold physical destruction, and still no resolution. The second option?

In Paul's letter to the Romans, he speaks of death living in us as a result of Adam's original sin. It is only through God's grace, undeserved and unearned grace, that we have life. God's grace was given in the form of Jesus. In the Middle East, it is only grace that can bring peace. Neither side deserves it, but this may be the only chance for survival. The question is whether anyone is courageous enough to extend it to the other.

The Breath of God

After God created the heavens and the earth, water and sky, oceans, rivers, various plants and animals, He created man. He took some dust from the ground and formed man. And then, he breathed life into him. (Genesis 2:7) He took Play-Doh and gave it life. The earliest form of claymation. (What is not to love about Play-Doh? It has to be one of the coolest things ever invented - http://www.hasbro.com/playdoh.


Or, check out the famous Mr. Bill! - http://www.mrbill.com)


His breath gave us life. Just pause and let that sink in for a moment. After creating everything - even light - he breathed life into matter. We'd be nothing but dust, a lump of clay, without his breath.

It seems like I'm beating this to death, but I really want to emphasize the awesome nature of what this means. He is in us. It's more than the Spirit of God, it's God himself, His breath in our lungs.

So, if He is in us, can't we pretty much do anything?

I'm not talking about a 47-foot high jump, or running the mile in 32 seconds. But I am talking about some pretty awesome, seemingly impossible things. For example, why can't we provide clean water for everyone - EVERYONE - worldwide? Seems like a big task, but why not? God created the lakes, rivers, streams (later polluted by man) - why can't we, with Him inside of us, solve this problem? What is holding us back? Trust me, this is as much self-talk as it is a prompting to those who read this, but why not?

The only thing holding us back is us, the self-imposed limitations we place upon ourselves. And I think the reason is because we view ourselves as so insignificant. We're only one of six-billion people - what difference can we make? Well, Jesus and his twelve disciples changed the world. But they didn't do it on their own. God was with them. Just as God is with us.

Or, I guess I should say, just as God is IN us.

Middle East Conflict, part....

Just when we think all is calm in the world (ignoring Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq) we are faced with a crises that could escalate to unfathomable heights. Is the fight between Israel and Hezbollah simply a short-term "correction", analogous to a over-heated stock market? Or, could these events become a long-term regional, or potentially world conflict, more analogous to the depression that was felt the world over in the 1930s? I watch the conflict in Lebanon closely, praying that calm minds and big hearts prevail, and events of today begin to calm.

Right now, that seems to be such a naive hope. From the beginning of time, we've had conflict, often resulting in death (Genesis 4:8). Fueled by jealousy, lust, ego, hate, and covetous desires, men and women display their worst behavior, reflecting man's depravity...and people die. The conflict between Israel and it's neighbors includes many of the behavioral traits I highlight above. Certainly, the actions of Iranian President Ahmadinejad, and his irrational, hateful comments, are representative of more than one of these traits. But, the world is littered with people that are broken and sinful, and our actions are often beyond words. (Heck, if you don't believe me, click this link: http://www.startribune.com/462/story/557309.html)

So, what can we do about all this? Pray. At all times. To God, the Father of our savior, Jesus Christ. Only He can intervene. Only he can place his hands on these many tragedies and conflicts and say enough. Keep in mind, he may choose not to - that's His call, based on His plans. Looking at our behavior, it wouldn't surprise me to see him turn away for a while, let men kill men, destroy homes and buildings, and in general wreak havoc throughout His creation.

Who knows? We may begin to realize how much we need him at that point. And maybe we'll take to heart Jesus' words in John 5:14 - "Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you."

22 Years After Conviction - Innocence

What an incredible story:
http://www.innocenceproject.org/press/Newton.php

What you don't see in this story is the man's incredibly positive outlook on life, and his resistance to giving in to anger, resentment, revenge, hate.

Alan Newton is a role model for so many of us. In an interview, he was told that the lady that originally accused him of rape, assault and robbery had died. He was asked what he thought about her. In a calm voice, he replied that he felt bad for her too. He said that she too, did not have justice served, since the person who committed the crime was never prosecuted or convicted of it.

How many of us would view this experience through rose colored glasses? He's looking forward to going to school, getting a job. He knows that he has spent over half his life in prison, for a crime he didn't commit, yet he's looking forward, not backward.

What an incredibly humble person.

Safety Kills

Isn't it time to quit being so safe? Everywhere we go, everything we read, we're being told we're not safe. We're a nation obsessed with becoming more and more safe. Seat belts weren't enough, so we added airbags. Then passenger air bags. Then side impact airbags. Before you know it, we'll all be driving bumper cars simply because it will be the only way to approach the new standard by which we live = "one life lost is one life too many." The problem with that thinking is that it's all about us. It doesn't extend to those who really need help.

This quest for life of safety is causing people to no longer take any risks. I'm not talking about extreme athletes - those guys amaze me. The people I'm speaking about are those that simply sit on the sidelines and never engage any of the critical issues of our time. The people who won't get involved in any of the many worthwhile causes to help eradicate AIDS in Africa. Or the people who will not get involved in the inner-city because it's dangerous.

Or many Christians. It seems that many (most?) Christians are what I'll call "by the book Christians" - they know the Scriptures but don't necessarily live them. Why is that? I think in part it's a fear they have, being afraid that someone may judge them, or their efforts may fail. The necessity to be safe paralyzes the people that are most needed to impact and change this world.

The Apostle Paul was certainly not safe. He took many risks, often resulting in personal pain and suffering. But what he accomplished as a result of his sacrifice changed the world. Of course his model was Jesus. Did Jesus play it safe? Hardly. He took on the establishment, calling into question the religious leaders of his day. He too paid a price. But here's the thing. The price Jesus paid allows us to take more risks than ever. Our future is guaranteed. We can step out into the fire, knowing Jesus will rescue us. We can share our faith because we're called to do so. We can work to help heal those suffering in Africa, because those suffering are our brothers. We can minister in the inner city, because their pain is our pain.

And we can do this knowing that whether successful or not, regardless of how our efforts might be judged by others, that Jesus is with us, having already paid the ransom that allows us to risk all to gain even more.

You see, the thing is, the more we play it safe, the more people die. To AIDS, to hunger and thirst, to inner-city violence, etc. When we play it safe, we become accomplices in the death of millions. Playing it safe is making a choice - a choice to not save the lives of God's children. And, don't forget, this choice will be judged - Matthew 25:45-46 - "'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' Then they will go away to eternal punishment..."

It's time to take some risks and kill the safety-first mindset. Once we've done that, we can get on with Jesus' mission for our lives.