Ad Astra Per Aspera

As much technological advance as we have made, we still have not found a way to predict the future, therefore, we worry. Everyone is wired a tad different, but we all worry. I know some of you are paralyzed by fear and anxiety. You play out every scenario before you make a decision, and even then you second-guess yourself till the very end. I know some of you that are so carefree I wonder if anything worries you. Whatever the case, we all go through those seasons when we lose sleep, blow opportunities, and destroy relationships because we think too much.

Worry boils down to pride. Let me say that again, in case you missed it. Worry boils down to our arrogance. We are sure that our way is best. We are convinced we know which way the future must work out in order for life to go on as we think it should. We play out scenarios as if we are omniscient (all knowing) and pursue the best one as if we are omnipotent (all powerful). We do not believe God has a plan, and if He does have one, how could it be as well thought out as ours?  We may announce that we desire God’s will for our life, but we always have a back up plan, just in case He lets us down. We give ourselves full credit when things go according to our plan because we made good decisions, acted responsibly, and planned ahead. We interpret anything that conflicts with our plan as failure, suffering, or abandonment. And chances are high we blame circumstances, other people, and most ironically, God, when our plans fail.

Our pride is overwhelming.

We have trust issues. We want God to answer the big questions before we hand over anything. We want God to find us a job, a nice house, a hip church, and an attractive mate, but we have a hard time including Him in our daily life, in the little things. It’s sort of like asking someone to marry you on the first date, and they look at you in bewilderment because you barely know each other. If we could keep God at arm’s length but still have all of our big questions answered we would, but God longs to know us and He will not give up. He wants to know we are as serious about getting to know Him as He is about getting to know us. God asks some questions of us before He answers ours.

“Do you really believe I know what’s best for you, better than anyone, even you?”

“Will you follow me, no matter the cost?”

“Do you love me?”

If we are unwilling to answer yes to those three questions, then what business do we have asking for God’s help? If we can’t start by saying yes to these three questions and shape our lives around them, then maybe we should be left to sludge around in our swamp of worry. 

Here in 2010 many of us have trouble believing in an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God because of how much science and industry have developed humanity in the last hundred years. Some of you may think that the people in ancient times would have had no problems believing in God because their minds were primitive and did not have the luxury of the scientific method that we now enjoy. Perhaps you’re convinced that those simple folk had no explanation for many things in life, so they just invented religion to cope with their circumstances. No, they reacted the same way us modern thinkers do; some believed their eyes, while others did not. I think we forget that the people in the Bible were real men and women, with real problems, real struggles, real doubt, and real faith.

Since there is no empirical evidence that God exists, (keep in mind there is no empirical evidence that He does not exist either) most folks just figure that if God were real, He would just show up and tell us the truth Himself. You see the thing is this; He already did that, and it did not pan out how you and I would think it would. 

Twelve men walked side by side with Jesus for three years and were eyewitnesses to Him performing miracles, dying on a cross, and defeating death through resurrection. But then at the end of Matthew’s gospel, the disciples meet the risen Christ on a mountainside and while some worshiped Him, others doubted. Miracles are not easy to believe, even when you are looking them straight in the eyes or touching them with your own hands. The miracle of Christ’s resurrection is a cornerstone of the Christian faith, but I can see why people have a hard time believing it. If Matthew admits that eyewitnesses had trouble believing it, then of course we are going to have some skeptics a couple thousand years later. Be encouraged though my friend, that even these men who doubted Christ to His face went on to build His church from the ground up, many becoming martyrs for our faith. It may take some time, but be patient, do not give up, because Christ can handle your doubt with care and He is not finished with you yet.

Jesus never used miracles as magic tricks to impress the public or coerce the masses. He was not in the business of changing minds, but transforming hearts. His miracles did not simply lead to a cognitive decision to believe, but to worship, to awe, and to wonder.

Our modern brains think of miracles as the suspension of natural order, but Jesus meant them to be the restoration of the natural order. The Bible tells us that God did not originally make the world to have disease, hunger, and death in it. Jesus came to redeem where it is wrong and heal the world where it is broken. His miracles are not just proofs that he has power but also wonderful previews of what he is going to do with that power. Previews at the movie theater are often my favorite part, I love getting a foretaste of something great to come. Miracles are not just a challenge to our minds, but also a promise to our hearts, that the world we all want is coming.

Everything sad is going to come untrue and all the might-have-beens will be. 

God is Love.

You’ve heard the phrase. I believe it, but I’m confused by the recent interpretation of “God is love” by my generation. Many people that are not willing to give Christianity, or organized religion in general a shot, are still comfortable with saying that if there is a God, he must be the fullness and source of Love. That’s it. God is love, period. A giant cosmic teddy bear here to hold your hand through the tough times and sit on the shelf during the good ones. Unbelievers and believers alike battle moral accountability with this phrase all the time, “I thought God was supposed to be all about love, not judging people, how can I believe in Hell, how can you tell me I’m wrong?”

We’re okay with the God who loves us, who forgives us, who wants to see our dreams come true. We’re fine with believing in the God who accepts everyone just way they are. We’re not okay with the God who might ask us to adjust our choices around his desires, who might disapprove of something or someone in our life, who might ask us to follow His plan instead of blessing our own schemes. We’re uncomfortable with believing a God that has an eternal plan for those who believe in Him, and a different one for those who do not. 

Skeptics can’t believe in a God who punishes and judges, because they believe in a God of love. But I ask you this, where did this idea that God is love come from? Where is the evidence? Can you look at the world we live in right now and say that the god of this world is a god of love? Can you look at the history books and say that the god of history is a god of love? I haven’t studied each world religion in depth, but from what I have gathered, grace is not a common theme among them. Other world religions do not support the idea of unmerited grace, or personal relationship with their god(s). In short, other world religions suggest, “you get what you deserve.”

This entire idea that God is love came from the Christian perspective, in other words, the Bible. The Christian Bible is the only resource for the idea that God created the world out of love and delight. If we’re going to buy into the idea of God being the purest source of eternal love, then we also have to buy into the idea that he is the source of eternal justice. Both love and justice in the same hand, in the strongest sense, on a scale we cannot fathom. The God of love is also a God of judgment who will put all things in the world to rights in the end. 

To our postmodern western society, eternal damnation does not seem fair, because we do not choose it. In a traditional eastern society, forgiveness does not seem fair, because we do not deserve it. Who are we to prefer the God of the universe comply to our projections? Righteous judgment is hard for me to swallow, knowing it’s going to come from the same God who claims to love us unconditionally. It’s not that I can’t believe its possible; it is just so hard to live with both. 

I’ll paraphrase a thought by Lewis from The Abolition of Man;

A believer comes to the humbling and helpless point when all he has left to say to God is “Thy will be done,” which leads to eternal relationship, we call it heaven. 

The unbeliever comes to a point where he is so self-interested and self-sufficient that God says to him, “Thy will be done,” which leads to eternal separation, which we call hell. 

Ultimately, we end up with our truest desire. What is fairer than that?