In our world we are surrounded by a series of negative
facts, and doomsday truths that could easily consume the mind of one trying too
hard to control their own fate. Luckily
for believers, we need not concern ourselves with these trivialities as our
Lord is ultimately in control of our fates anyway. Part of the freedom to love, is the freedom
that comes from trusting the One we put in charge of our will, and our desires. The surrounding facts do not change, but
somehow in the new ways of rebirth, we do not see them as so all-important
anymore. The former matters of life and
death importance now seem pale, and of far less concern, even if no less
true. The difference is the freedom
brought by serving a loving God.
But it is not just the ability to downplay the world around
us that this freedom brings. It is far
more than that. When our desires begin
to be molded by His hands, we begin to want what He wants, and find joy in what
He finds joy in. This transformation is
not trivial at all, but breathtaking and profound. How does one describe the breath of fresh air
for the soul? Just the relief to know
that what you are beginning to take joy in is no longer the very thing designed
to kill you would be good enough. But it
does not stop there. You realize you are
free to invest in the happiness that comes from wanting the right things.
Amazingly, the simple things, the most mundane routines,
become precious moments committed to memory because they are spent with another
you love. There can be great joy found
in the most simple activities, because of the focus on companionship,
friendship, and romantic loves. Time
spent with the best of friends becomes more memorable. Time spent with a spouse, child, or parent
becomes golden seconds you would be unwilling to trade for all the money the
world could muster. That is after all
the normal competition for our time; it is our need of, or perhaps more
accurately our desire for, money.
Pursuit of wealth is the number one competitor for time with
loved ones. Most succumb to its lure of
far away leisure time and close up needs for survival. Both are myths. We survive now like we do when we are old,
because of His grace and blessings to us (including our jobs). Leisure time expected after a long career is
somehow always just around the corner, never here, never now. But the present remains devoid of time for
family, instead focused on career preservation and upward mobility. And thus life and golden moments are
squandered.
Service is thought of as hard work. But how hard is it to simply begin to think
of ways to please someone other than yourself?
Pouring someone a drink when you see they are thirsty, or running low at
the dinner table. Doing the dishes for
the family without being asked or thanked, just because it was needed. Driving someone to work, or the mall, or
wherever they need. There are many small
acts of random kindness you can perform that can radically improve the day of
those that take notice. But while
improving the lives of others may be the intrinsic goal, there is a greater
metamorphosis taking place inside of you.
These repeated benevolent small acts of kindness change your focus from
self to service.
This is the goal of Salvation itself, to free you from
yourself, and your self-interests.
Taking your eyes away from the mirror and on to the very real needs of
others is the beginning of emulating the behavior of God. There are those who ask, can’t a non-believer
be a charitable, giving, person? And if
so, isn’t this enough to win the favor or approval of God? The answer is yes, and no. A person who claims no belief in God can do
nice things for others, but without exception these acts are only a part of
their curriculum of life, not the entirety of it. Non-believers tend to put stock in balance in
their lives, and equating not hurting anyone else, as a limited way of doing
good to others. The moral standards they
employ to examine themselves are subjective, and therefore heavily biased. It is easy to be judged as doing good, when
you sit in the judge’s seat.
The secondary part of this query is more difficult. Can a person by doing good for others win the
approval of God, even if they are a non believer? The answer is no. But it is deeper than that. Believers cannot win approval by their
actions either. It is faith and
surrender that win approval, not the deeds one does, or even the motives one
carries. Cain, the son of Adam and Eve,
back in the garden used his considerable skills as a farmer to prepare a
bountiful sacrifice for his God. He
offered the best of his harvest prepared with love, sweat, and hard work. And his sacrifice was rejected. He did not follow God’s instructions, and
more importantly, he did not humble himself to serve, instead his pride
reasoned there was an alternative to doing things God way. His way might be just as good. But it was not. Then pride seeded to jealousy, jealousy to
hatred, hatred to murder, and murder to the first “cover up”.
This has long been the problem with disobedient sentient
beings, their pride. We, just like
Lucifer before his fall, reason that our wisdom is just as good as God’s. We put our faith in the facts of science
(itself an experimental process), or in the facts of history (which is
distorted completely by the perceptions of the teller), or in the purity of
math (though no scholar can prove or deny the existence of God through
mathematics alone). We trust
institutions of higher learning, when they pronounce religion as mere
superstition, or only moral guidelines.
We flatter ourselves into believing that eons of evolution have produced
the best of us, instead of recognizing that rather than evolving towards
perfection, we as a species are declining towards extinction. But pride, and the focus on self, are
effective ways of denying one the larger more meaningful life they could live,
if surrendered to the Lord of all Love.
The times can be hard.
The money can be little, or largely insufficient. These facts remain. But despite them, the freedom that comes from
a life built on intimacy with God, can bring joy to the mind and body when
facts dictate a different response.
Giving it all to God, giving up on doing the work of reform, and taking
assurance that He will do it for you, perhaps in spite of you, brings
freedom. An entire series of really good
days can begin this way. When the fog of
sin, evil, and self interest is swept away; the eyes are finally able to see
the clarity of happiness found in the service of all you come into contact
with. You trade insatiable quests for
pleasing self with miserable results, for complete fulfillment and peace and
joy that can be found alone in the surrender to Christ.
No matter the times, no matter the struggles you face; peace
is at your doorstep. A way through your
trials and travails has already been established, it was completed long before
your need presented itself. This is the
care your Father takes in your life.
Surrender your obstinate will, let go your stubborn pride, and become
the little child who trusts implicitly, plays incessantly, and lives fulfilled
and contented beyond the understanding of the world. This life is beyond the science of our day,
and above the IQ’s of any genius who dared to reason with it, it is the life of
peace that surrender alone can bring and sustain. It is the beginning of the Kingdom of heaven,
and it is here today for you …
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