Have you ever been watching a movie and the hero is in such a mess, you think there is no possible way for him to avoid defeat? But you know that he is the hero and there is always some crazy, sometimes ridiculous way he will escape; you know he can’t die or there would be no reason for the movie to continue. You know that some amazing thing will happen and save the day for the hero. A lot of times, we sit there and laugh at how impossible that particular escape was. The older we get, the more “plausible” we need the escape to be or we deem it juvenile. “Only a child would buy that load of crap”, we say to ourselves. Maybe our child would say to us that we lack imagination. But nobody bounces off of the concrete, back-flips over a car, scales a building while saving a child and not spilling a bit of coffee. But, you know, I’ve noticed that real life is just as ridiculous! Some of the craziest things I have ever heard were true stories and somehow the person survives to tell the story. The miracles that happen around the world every day would fill the Library of Congress on a daily basis. But most of us choose to digest good news like unimportant “tid-bits” and cheap filler for the more important stuff: bad news. “Oh, that is precious. I’m sure someone is over-exaggerating the truth though. Nice to think miracles could happen”, we mutter. In every tragedy, there are inevitably heroes, and there are miracles; but, we focus on “death-toll” or “amount of destruction” or “cost of disaster”. But, you know, all the tragedy in this life is filled with heroes and miracles. Why do we associate God with the disaster (“how could a loving God allow this terrible_________ to happen?”), and try to take credit for providing our own heroes? The people at ground-zero understand the palpable presence of God in their state; but we see only with our electronic conscience (a very limited, short attention spanned device) from a distance. It is sad really that we all can’t participate in suffering and not always view it from a distance if it doesn’t directly affect us! We would understand more about this hero/miracle thing and be able to suspend our disbelief on a real level. Why do we readily accept bad news and are skeptical about good news? What is wrong with our being that it embraces darkness so much easier than light? We must get to the bottom of this malfunction of our souls or we are doomed to our own disbelief.
Can we believe the following statement?
“You are my witnesses”, says the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen,
That you may know and believe Me,
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
Nor shall there be after Me.
I, even I, am the Lord,
And besides Me there is no savior.”
And,
“I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the Gentiles,
To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in the darkness from the prison house.
I am the Lord, that is My name;
And My glory I will not give to another,
Nor my praise to carved images.
Behold, the former things have come to pass,
And new things I declare;
Before they spring forth I tell you of them”.
And,
“Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now, it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:10-11, 42:6-9, 43:18-19
Can we suspend our disbelief long enough to ponder the truth or lie in the above statements? If it is God speaking, then His voice is heard by those who hear His voice. Can you hear His voice? For “Wisdom is known by her children”.
If we are indeed Christians and followers, shouldn’t we lift Him up and see who comes? The message for me to remember today is this: proclaim Truth with freedom and let the chips fall where they may; to say in the spirit of love, without judgment, without religion, without prejudice that freedom is now.
For,
“But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No.
For the son of God, Jesus Christ…
Was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes.
For all the promises of God in Him are Yes,
And in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us”. II Corinthians 15: 18-20 (bold emphasis added)
So from this backdrop, we stand faithful to find and to be heroes and to see and be miracles through the eyes of those seeking them. How can we find what we aren’t looking for? Why should we eat from the prisoner’s table, the prisoner having no choice in the food? But we are free to eat of the fine dining that is ours if we choose it. Praise our King and let us eat in His present kingdom that we share in the establishing thereof.
disciplegideon 