Monday, July 14, 2008

Future Tripping and the Presence of Joy (Peace)


Future Tripping and the Presence of Joy (Peace): "Future Tripping and the Presence of Joy (Peace)"

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BHT
The Shack author's blog has a great little article on peace and joy in the face of future planning. Very well written. We have talked about the mystery of being close to God in times of distress, times when we feel out of control, when things are not going the way we planned. I've been in times of distress and been far away from God also. So distress, disaster, discomfort only reveals the path to God. Arriving close to God is not automatic. We still have to walk the path of acceptance. Maybe that beautiful path God built to Himself is more distinctly visible when all the roads we have built are seen in their true light, full of pot holes and cracks and leading nowhere.

It always irritated me when people tagged "Lord willing" onto future statements. I've started adding it myself. Not to sound pious but "Lord willing" feels more descriptive of reality. "I will do this thing tomorrow ... Lord willing." It all sounds terribly weak in our culture of achievement, un-American almost.

Many of us Christians identify with Abraham, Moses, Paul ... not as much with their faith in God but in the great things these great men achieved. Then we live our lives in frustration in our own paultry achievements. Lately I identify more with the demoniac of Gadara:

"As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."

We don't all defeat the Kings of Sodom, part the Red Sea or evangelize the world. Some of us just stay home and tell the story to the locals.

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