Doing my Part

Responsibility is something that many people cry about in this country. "People need to stand up and accept the consequences of their actions," we say. I personally wish to never have to face the consequences of my actions, or at least not to face any more of them. Of course, the bible teaches that I never do have to. And yet, I find myself over and over stepping up in front of the miniature firing squad in my head, thinking to myself, "If you had been smarter, your life would be better; if you been prepared, this stress in your life would be gone; if you had made better decisions in the past, everything in your life would go smoothly; you deserve everything you get." Now, on the one hand, I don't know that any of those statements are false. How could I, since they're all hypothetical. It does seem to me, though, that I think pretty highly of myself. That's not a contradiction, by the way. I apparently think that the path my life takes is entirely up to me. It's not that I don't think that God is in control and taking care of me. It's just that I think God takes care of me as long as I do my part. As long as I make all the best decisions, and expertly navigate the tangled maze of the future, God will bless my effort. Obviously, if I think things aren't going great, it is due to me not doing my job as leader of my life, right? Now do you see? I berate myself for doing a bad job of leading, when I was never meant to be in charge in the first place. I think to myself, "God won't help me in this situation, because I got myself into it." As if God isn't all about helping people get themselves out of the messes they have created. I am trying to manage my life when I can't even manage a 7 month old with a dirty diaper.

Now let's start again, from the right point of view. God is the one steering the bus, and just because it seems like he's pulled over for awhile doesn't mean that I should jump behind the wheel. If I am steering my life to where I think it should be I cannot, except by sheer coincidence, arrive at the place that God destined me to be. In fact, I know from experience that my desires are nearly always at conflict with God's. Therefore I can't even rely on coincidence to get me to my destination safely. If I think things in my life aren't going well, and yet I know God is in control, isn't it more likely that my idea of "well" may be skewed? I need to relax and let God do the driving, because He is the one who knows where we are going. See Mathew 6.

Polichristians

I now officially have at least three people reading this blog, so I can move on.

Yay!

I have a question that I have asked people off and on before, because I have an opinion about it, and it's always good to check your opinions out to make sure they aren't bad opinions (Yes, an opinion CAN be bad. That's another post though.)

How deeply should a Christian be involved in politics / the government?

A while back I heard something on the radio which seriously got on my nerves. I got on the kind of rant that makes Lindsay roll her eyes and ask me if I actually want a heart attack at 29. A woman had called in to a talk show about a "great victory" local Christians had won over the school board concerning prayer in school. Apparently, the argument had been specifically over whether or not there would be a prayer before football games. The school board had finally decided that a prayer would be allowed before the game, as long as a school employee or board member was not the one praying.

So basically, they set a precedent that the school gets to decide who can pray and who can't. What's more, the school actually banned certain people from praying in certain situations.

Congratulations.

First of all, since when do we have to get someone's permission to pray? If I walked into your home and told you that I was allowing you to sit on your own couch, what would you say to me? Christians in this country have gotten too caught up in the idea of "rights." Anytime local or federal government makes a decision which appears unfavorable to the church, Christians jump up to defend our rights. A school decides that students can't have a bible study on campus. The local church rushes in to protest, or even sue the school. Federal buildings are removing plaques displaying the ten commandments, all mention of God is being removed from anything relating to the government, and some Christians are afraid that someday we won't even be allowed to worship.

So what?

Look at the apostles. How many rallies did first century Christians have in order to reform the anti-Christian attitude of the Roman government? Very few, as they were too busy spreading the gospel. My answer to people who ask, "What happens when we aren't allowed to worship anymore?" is, "Probably we will go to jail, and still be exactly where God wants us."

So, how involved should a Christian be in trying to affect and change the government? On the other hand, we should be compassionate to others, and if we feel the government is making decisions that hurt people, should we try to put an end to it? Can you even be compassionate at a federal level? Am I missing something here?

The difference between the end and the means

I am going to make a guess which may, if I pull it off well, sound educated. If you were to ask most people in this country what the point of Christianity is, they would tell you that Jesus died to forgive us our sins so that we can go to heaven. The problem with this answer is that they have mistaken the means for the end. It isn't surprising that they should do that. If they are anything like me, their mind naturally vacillates between shame and regret of the past, and fear and anxiety of the future. Along comes Jesus with a cure for both, and our natural response is, "Yay, I'm cured." Consider this: a man goes to the doctor with a broken leg. The doctor puts the leg in a cast. Why? Well, so the bone will heal. However, there is a better and even more obvious answer if we look a little further. The doctor's goal is not to simply heal the break. The doctor's goal is that the patient should walk again. Healing the break is the means to that end. The same thing goes for the cure Jesus offers us. It isn't the goal. He is curing us of our past and future so that we can live with Him in the present. C.S. Lewis (probably my favorite author of all time until I read an author I like more) said something in The Screwtape Letters that I really like.

"The humans live in time but (God) destines them to eternity. He therefore, I believe, wants them to attend chiefly to two things, to eternity itself, and to that point of time which they call the Present. For the Present is the point at which time touches eternity... in it alone freedom and actuality are offered them."

Jesus cures us of our sins for a reason - so that, instead of guilt, we have the courage and boldness to walk with Him. Jesus promises to provide for us and take care of our future for a reason - so that we can walk with him in the present without fear. All this leaves for us is to trust Him and walk.

Das Vat Vee Learn in Der Schule, Ya Ya!

I decided I would start a second blog to discuss serious thinkings which I had thunk. Honestly, I had meant to start a journal, but didn't want to buy a notebook. I find that I think a lot when I'm driving, and decided tonight that I didn't want to keep forgetting what I was thinking about. This blog is the solution to that problem. You are also welcome to read it if you want. Thoughts are always better when they are flavored by the comments and corrections of older and / or wiser minds.