This post deals with something I've wanted to write about since I started the blog. Also, I'm no theologian, so it won't be as in-depth as it could be. This is also in response to Bender's response to my belief that God blessed me with a parking permit. The whole thing can be read at: http://marmonax.blogspot.com/2011/08/on-little-things.html?showComment=1313533799996#c1637638238965752750
I can see how Bender is upset because there are far bigger problems in the world than my getting a parking permit. My whole point in saying what I said was to highlight how I get so caught up in expecting God to work huge miracles (like fire from Heaven or parting the Red Sea) that I miss out on the little blessings. I had to remind myself that God created everything perfect. He created Earth and Eden. He created Man, saw that Man was lonely, so He created Woman. Everything God created was good. God wants to fellowship with me.
The story begins in Genesis with Him hanging out with Man, and ends in Revelation where He will establish His throne with us:
"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away'. And He who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' Also He said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'" (Revelation 21:3-5 ESV)
The story is that Man disobeyed God. He essentially declared war on God. I have declared war on God. We have all declared war on God. Romans 3:23 says "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." But then Romans 3:24 continues, "and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus". So, there is bad news, but there is also good news. We will be healed. If we are in Christ, then we can have the relationship with God that we lost so long ago. We may not be healed on this earth though. This earth is heading for destruction. There is still sin in this world. God will make all things new. I don't know what my CP cousin is thinking, because he cannot communicate, but I've told him about this healing. If we stop fighting God, we can fellowship with Him. If someone declares war on me (and continually spits in my face), it would be hard for me to forgive them, let alone live with them. I am not God though. I don't know why He loves me, but He does. And He loves you too.
Also, if God is a good God then why is there evil in the world? Well, if we want God to end evil in the world, which evil are we talking about? Sure, we'd like to end murder, rape, etc. We'd like God to not allow bad things like birth defects, or health complications. I mean, why does bad stuff happen right? In reality, we can't pick and choose what evil we want God to handle because He is a holy God and cannot tolerate any evil at all. The only way we can approach Him is because of Jesus' sacrifice. He paid the debt He did not owe; the debt we could not pay. Lying, cheating, evil thoughts, all of those should be punished. "What you thought last night deserves a first class flight to Hell where God doesn't dwell" - Lecrae. If we say God should end all of the bad stuff in the world, then we're all doomed. There is a Hope, though. There is a Redeemer. We will be healed.
And yes, Bender, I do need to lose weight. I only have one life, and I don't want it to end because of me. It's something I struggle with daily, and I won't go into detail here. I am sorry about your brother. My CP cousin Philip is awesome, and I wish he could communicate with me. I have questions in my life too, like why did my 5-yr old cousin have to die in a car accident? And other questions...I am in no way saying that if you accept Christ you will have everything you need and nothing bad will happen to you. Jesus says in John 16:33, "I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” The story doesn't end with our problems today. The tomb is empty, the throne is occupied. I will continue to stand on Scripture because it's what I base my belief on. I will try to back everything up with it as well. I hope we can continue to communicate, Bender. I've already lost one dear friend, and I would hate to lose you; however, if I claim to believe something like this I can't just shelve it when it's inconvenient. God doesn't say "deal with it", He says "let Me help you learn it". I could keep writing pages and pages, but this is the gist of it. I'm praying for you and your brother.
For the Kingdom,
Stuart
First I just want to say again that the weight reference was not intended to be vindictive at all. My intended rhetorical point was that some things that look to be bad can really be interpreted as good given the proper long-term perspective. The comparison in my head was my cousins who would complain about how lame their cars were, when it was safe, relatively new, and oh yeah, free! You have what you need (and more); quit whining. This would be in contrast to a Generally Accepted Bad Thing, like getting killed by a drunk driver. So please don’t focus on that.
ReplyDeleteRegarding your cousin, okay, I did not know that. That gives me some perspective. My experience has taught me that most people do not know of these things, so I apologize for jumping the gun on that. However, I will still contend that: 1.) Mental disabilities are a whole different kettle of fish than physical ones, and 2.) You have to really be involved to truly appreciate the gravity of the situation (at least with mental issues). I have cousins who are helpful and volunteer to help disabled kids, and they have no idea how big the iceberg really is.
The last point I will make here is that my rant was never about the evidential problem of evil. I accept that bad things will happen, and I can philosophically attribute that to free will without a problem. I can take that a step further and say that genetics disorders are the price we pay for evolution, and would not really hold that against a grand Creator either. What I’m upset about really is the rest of it, which admittedly I didn’t get into. There’s just this never-ending stream of crap that gets in the way, beyond the normal trials of life. (Really long story.) I would expect, given that my parents have absolutely no life outside of work and childcare, that a moral entity would throw them a bone once in a while, but instead there’s just been more shit, which I can only attribute to divine absence or dickishness.
Bender-
ReplyDeleteI'm glad we can meet in the middle again. I can truly appreciate your perspective, and you raise a valid question about 'throwing a bone'. If God were to heal your brother completely, right in front of you, would you believe in Him? Would that act convince you that you must surrender your whole life to Him and follow Him? Most likely not. Sure, you might thank Him, but eventually things would go back to the way they were. He died for you. What's more, He resurrected because He loves you. Romans 5:8 says, "but God showed His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." There's nothing we can do to earn it, or really understand it. It's a faith thing. For me, it wasn't some huge miracle that got me following Him. It was one step of faith. He cares about the individual. Yes, there is a God. Yes, He loves you, your brother, and your parents. Right now it's very hard to see that, I understand. Crap does happen, and the stories are very long in their detail, but there is hope. Even if you're angry with Him, that's a start because in a way you're acknowledging Him. We'll never have all the answers. He just calls us to follow Him. I wish God was a cure-all. I wish that once I start following Him everything starts working out for my good and the good of others, but it doesn't work that way. Romans 8:28 promises that God works all things for the good for those who follow Him and are called according to His purpose. That's a promise. It's not a detailed explanation. It doesn't say that everything will work out, but it does say that whatever happens will eventually be good. So even the crap has a purpose, and there is a God who loves you in control.
For the Kingdom,
Stuart
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ReplyDeleteI could be wrong, but I'm getting the sense that "D" seems to think that you are only a Christian because you've never dealt with hardship. You'll be the first to admit that your life has been pretty normal, that you came to Christ in a bathtub not due to some life-changing event, etc. His tone seems condescending to me--as if being a Christian is merely a root of naivete, never experiencing things that would take you in another direction. EVERYONE deals with shit. To downplay someone else's hardships because yours are worse is ignorant. The worst thing that's ever happened to someone is the worst thing they've ever experienced, obviously. Therefore, they probably felt the same pain you felt in your worst experience, even if it was worse by comparison. The worst thing I've ever experienced is a combination of losing a close friend in a car accident, then our cousin to the same a few years later. I'm sure those experiences were also the worst thing their parents experienced, all of them very strong, devout Christians. I've had conversations with my friend's father about our shared pain, and never once has he tried to downplay my own because his is deeper, as his father. Being a military wife, I constantly have to deal with comparing hardships..."my husband has to post out every 4 days for 5 days." "Well that's not as bad as what I'm going through. My husband is deployed for 6 months." "Oh you silly Air Force wives, my husband is deployed for a year. Get over it." It's ridiculous. The fact is, we are all in this life. This life is really screwed up most of the time. Our lives are really screwed up most of the time. The point Stuart was trying to make is that he likes to see the hidden blessings in everything. You don't have to believe in God to see beauty in little things and see them as a gift. That beautiful rainbow. The feeling you get on a day with perfect weather. Or whatever more "masculine" things make you happy, as I am merely a female and find beauty in things like that. Stuart attributes his parking pass to God. You say it's outrageous to focus on that when there are such horrible things in the world that his God allows to happen. This is merely a difference in outlooks. Stuart is choosing to find the beauty in little things despite what is going on around him. Yes, he doesn't have to deal with everyday, horrible hardships like you, but there are plenty of people who do. Not all of them are non-Christians. Sometimes I find more Christians as pessimistic than non-Christians. However, having faith that even the bad is all part of a greater good, and attributing that to a higher being isn't only for those who have an easy life.
ReplyDeleteExcuse me if I completely misconstrued your tone, but that's how it came across. And since you took it upon yourself to vent on something Stuart did not quite mean, I think I deserve to be excused for doing the same if that's what I did. As a Christian myself, I am constantly judged. Constantly looked at as being naive, ignorant, etc. I'm expected to be tolerant of everyone else's views and beliefs, while my own have been pushed out of society more and more every day. I think it's great that you guys can banter back and forth, answer each others' questions, but when it turns into someone having to defend every little comment because the other takes it offensively, it stops being an intelligent, respectful discussion.