Sharing Our Thankfulness In This World

Our pastor's great discussions in recent sermons on the tension of being in but not of this world have reminded me of another dimension of this tension: All of the created universe is both good and evil.

God created all things, and he created them good. Because God sustains all matter and life, this goodness persists, and it cannot help but be seen and heard by those with open eyes and ears. We share this in common with the world. We were all designed to enjoy the goodness of God's creation, in myriad ways, and that design is apparent at the root of all sensual pleasures (meaning of the senses, not merely sexual). This the argument against the extreme of removing ourselves from the world to avoid being tempted by our senses - God designed us to enjoy this world!

On the other hand, sin entered this world and has permeated all of the created universe. In spite of the goodness that we can sense in everything, it is all tainted by evil, to varying degrees. Our fallen flesh, the fallen world, and the fallen devil have all taken advantage of God's created goodness - tempting, twisting, and perverting - anything to draw our devotion away from the one true source of all goodness. This is the basis of the argument against the extreme of taking part in all that this world has to offer - It has all been twisted to pull us away from the only one who can heal us.

So how do we Christians live in this tension? In knowledge the depth of this world's and our own brokenness, and in knowledge of the Good News, God's plan-in-progress for the redemption of our true selves and the rest of this universe. We share this in common with the world. We all feel the wrongness of this world and long for it all to be made right. The difference is that we know the reason for our hope and have surrendered ourselves to God's design. Our Creator, Savior, and Healer are one and the same, and have all the power to bring their plan for ultimate redemption to completion as we submit to and join in that work, both in us and around us.

That is Good News to be thankful for! Am I sharing it like I believe it?
Like you, I struggle with that...

Cage-free

Today at the supermarket, I stopped by the eggs. They weren't on my list, but I counted how many I thought were in the carton at home.

While I surveyed the cage-free options – TWO out of two-dozen options - two women walked from the opposite direction. They split up; one going past for mozzarella, the other picking up a standard dozen eggs, the cheapest carton available.

She made her choice so nonchalantly, so automatically, hardly weighing the options. 

(I hemmed and hawed for more than a minute.) How does she choose? 

I observed one habit. She decided once, which color package to buy. And now buys it repeatedly, no evaluating necessary. Easy.

But there is another habit – avoidance. It is easier to look at those bland cartons and imagine happy hens. I want them to be happy and healthy. And so I imagine, looking away from the reality that one egg from one happy hen must cost more than 0.12 cents. Is that egg from a hen that has even stood on its own feet?

I do this – this looking away – all the time. Sometimes it's the only way I can cope in this broken world:

I turn my head, look straight past the homeless man that has nowhere else to go.

I tune out the number of Washington orphans waiting for homes.

I deafen my ears to the environment's screams.

I shield my heart from community that doesn't value my contribution.

I look away from the dog down the street, left tied up, alone.

I switch off the news and retreat to my quiet garden: digging, planting, weeding, anything for hours, trying to imagine there's no conflicts, no pain...

I can only handle so much – alone. But, over time my relationship with Jesus builds up my tolerance. He looked straight at the hurting, the broken, the rejected, the lost in this life and touched them, listened to them, gave them what He could.

Because of His mercy, now I can look at the abuse, the slavery of today and say – NO – I will respond. 

I will partner with others who help bring light into the darkness, freedom for the captives, good news to the poor.

I will keep praying for needs that remain for decades, for the impossible to come in the hearts of those consumed by anger and fear.

And I will spend my dollars in full view of the One who paid for me. I will focus on what He says is valuable.

So, I choose to see and acknowledge the hardness of Life and I Refuse to give up. But not by my own power. I wouldn't last one day alone.