This post is by a man who has for 18 years suffered from ALS (Amytrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also, known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease”). Bill Sweeney is paralyzed, using a computer to write with his eyes. Yet he consistently writes about hope.
You can find the original post at Bill’s website, Unshakable Hope, http://unshakablehope.wordpress.com/. I highly recommend the site.
In the midst of a trial, the greatest temptation we face is to hunker down and wait for the storm to pass. I don’t believe this is ever God’s will.
We tend to view trials as a kind of imprisonment, thinking our life is on hold until the day we’re released from the grip of the life challenge. ALS has made me a virtual prisoner of my own body for the last 18 years. It has been a very cruel warden. But I look around me and see other people fighting illness or trying to overcome addictions, depression, abuse, debt and so many other cruel masters.
We must continue to hope and pray for freedom from whatever is trying to “holdus,” and we should do everything in our power to move toward that goal. But, in the meantime, we should look for opportunities for God to use…
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Portia from Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice”, Painting by John Everett Millais, Metropolitan Museum of Art (PD-ArtlOld-100-1923)
If there were a God – a good God, Who really loved His children – no little girl would ever again die of cancer or little boy be molested. In fact, there would be no illness or pain at all (none, at any rate, impacting good people). There would be no poverty, no crime or corruption. There would be no racism or injustice. There would be no war, no terrorism, no weapons of mass destruction. There would be no natural disasters, no aging, and no death.
The Case Against God
This is the case against God. It is how many of us who have been deeply wounded reason. We lash out at God, holding Him responsible for all the evil in the world.
And there is some truth to this. God is the author of our existence. He knows the end from the beginning. While He does not inflict evil upon us, He does allow it to exist in our world.
When we feel overwhelmed, when our losses seem too great to bear, and we realize our helplessness in the face of calamity, we may rage at God, even deny His existence. This is, in effect, our way of striking out at Him. If we can do nothing else, we can deny Him our allegiance.
And God does through His permissive will permit trials to befall us. Believers though have God’s assurance that “…all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).
Free Will and the Sin Nature of Man
The case against God overlooks the human tendency to sin (what Christians call the “sin nature”or fallen state of man). God is not the rapist or the concentration camp commandant. He did not profit from the slave trade or cause the Twin Towers to collapse on 9/11.
The evil originating with human beings could be removed from this fallen world only if free will were eliminated, as well [1]. God did not make us automatons, required to love Him. Love only has meaning, if given voluntarily. Mother Teresa’s devotion and sacrifice were made possible by free will. But Cambodian leader Pol Pot’s “killing fields” were, also. That is the dilemma of free will.
Perfect Justice
The Book of Revelation speaks of countless martyrs “under the altar” awaiting justice from God. The perfect justice for which we, too, long can only be attained against the backdrop of eternity. The fate of a criminal who escaped punishment in this life will be decided at the Last Judgment, from which there is no escape. The child who died young will have an eternity to spend with those who loved her here. Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and their ilk will spend eternity in hell.
Comfort v. Self-Delusion
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor. 1: 3-4).
Some would argue that this is self-delusion, that we long for comfort in this harsh world, and so fashion it for ourselves. God, in other words, is an imaginary friend; and religion, the “opium of the masses” as Karl Marx called it.
Those of us who have experienced God can say without reservation that He is real, not a mere construct of man’s. Atheists might argue that Christians are all the more deluded for this. But we have watched Him work powerfully, both in the world and in our lives.
The full text of that quote by Marx is relevant, on this point. It reads: “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions.” Intentionally or not, Marx has given us an accurate description of the human condition without God. The longing expressed all over the globe for millennia is, itself, evidence for His existence [2]. Christians would say it is the imprint of His hand on our hearts for all time.
Secular humanism, New Age belief, and religious hypocrisy are discussed in Part 2 of this article (to be posted next week).
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[1] Illness and natural disaster are, in a spiritual sense, the side effects of sin on this world. This is not to say that those who become ill (or suffer from natural disasters) have sinned, and are being punished. See, Luke 13: 4 regarding the Tower of Siloam.
[2] It is hardly worth mentioning that the “aliens” some credit with our existence these days are merely a substitute for God. They beg the question: Who then created the aliens?
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
Let me share with you a letter I recently received from Peter Hileman, Esq. Pete is the Executive Director of Christian Legal Clinics of Philadelphia, a volunteer organization near and dear to my heart.
“Dear Anna,
I thought you might enjoy hearing a story about ‘The Lord’s Gym’, a court case I handled last month…
It was pouring rain. Cars flew by, splashing me with water. I had taken the subway to Center City and was hurrying the four blocks to make sure I arrived early for the 2pm hearing before the Zoning Hearing Board. I found the courtroom, went in, and waited…
Twenty years ago, [the Kensington Community Church] purchased a rundown row house across the street and fixed it up as an outreach for men in the community. For two decades it has been a refuge for those who struggled with addiction, a place they could go to stay straight and find a Christian mentor. It was known simply as ‘The Lord’s Gym.’ In an area that has so many bad things happening, I wondered why the officer [who had issued a citation against the gym] would choose to shut down one of the good things.
[Pastor] Ruben did the best he could to solve this legal problem himself, as the church couldn’t afford an attorney. He had fought the citation and lost. He applied for a variance, which had been denied, and he appealed. He went to a hearing unrepresented in this same courtroom a month earlier and they told him to come back with an attorney. Ruben heard about the legal clinic and called us. People at the church and in the community were praying that the gym would stay open. Ruben brought a petition with hundreds of names on it [and Hector who is confined to a wheelchair].
Hector made a compelling witness. He described the gym, how it worked, and the men they had helped. A local official told the board that the church was a beacon of light in that broken community. The judges were moved. So was I. We won the appeal!”
This is poverty law. Many have never even heard of it. But lawyers in this field are the last resort for those with no other place to turn. Read more…
Warm Hearts, Willing Hands – Aviation Support Technician Federico Munoz of USS Bataan and his son stack food boxes at Salvation Army Christmas Depot, Virginia Beach, VA, Photo by Mass Communication Specialist Christina Shaw, Source US Navy (ID 101211-N-5268S-016)
“Tonight I want to tell you the story of an empty stocking.
Once upon a midnight clear, there was a child’s cry, a blazing star hung over a stable, and wise men came with birthday gifts. We haven’t forgotten that night down the centuries. We celebrate it with stars on Christmas trees, with the sound of bells, and with gifts.
But especially with gifts. You give me a book, I give you a tie. Aunt Martha has always wanted an orange squeezer, and Uncle Henry can do with a new pipe. Oh, we forget nobody, adult or child. All the stockings are filled, all that is, except one. And we have even forgotten to hang it up.
The stocking for the child born in a manger. It’s His birthday we’re celebrating. Don’t let us ever forget that.
Let us ask ourselves what He would wish for most. And then let each put in his share, loving kindness, warm hearts, and a stretched out hand of tolerance. All the shining gifts that make peace on earth.”
— Bishop Henry Brougham, from the Samuel Goldwyn classic The Bishop’s Wife
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
MAY GOD FILL YOUR HOMES WITH PEACE,
AND YOUR HEARTS WITH LOVE.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
Black student welders at Chicago Opportunities Industrialization Center, Photo by John White, National Archives and Records Administration, College Park (ARC Identifier 556267)
“And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean’ ” (Matthew 8: 2).
Once the way out of poverty, education is no longer seen as paving the road to a viable future.
With inner city schools devastated, children are no longer provided the tools necessary to cope with an adult world. Basic math and language skills (vocabulary, grammar, punctuation) are foreign, as is the idea of gradual, steady improvement.
This is a poor start for anyone.
Few skills
As a result, young people raised in poverty possess few marketable skills. This includes the “soft” skills of regular attendance and punctuality, associated with job readiness.
Without the means of acquiring such skills, inner city youth are condemned to menial jobs offering few opportunities for advancement. Indeed, genuine opportunities may go unrecognized, since they would require time and patience which the young feel they cannot afford.
Work Ethic Undermined
The work ethic is, also, undermined by the fact inner city youth see few models of success around them. It is the drug dealer on the street corner who has cash.
Some choose to limit their options to public assistance. But children are not born with such limitations on their dreams.
Crime and Drugs
Certainly, some are drawn to crime. The streets offer the appeal of “fast money” in contrast to the time and effort required by legitimate employment. Many more individuals fall victim to crime, beaten into senselessness by the tragedy pervading their lives.
Mothers protest against the violence that has robbed them of their children, while daily still more children are gunned down or lost to the downward spiral of drugs.
The appeal of partying and drugs lies not only in the excitement they promise, but the temporary relief from reality they provide. Some individuals choose this bleak road.
Gateway in Bethlehem, Source http://www.old-picture.com/middle-east/Room-the-Inn-No-001.htm (Public Domain)
Historians can become familiar with Julius Caesar or his nephew Octavian, later known as Caesar Augustus, by reviewing documents by or about them, and artifacts of the time in which they lived. Historians – or anyone else for that matter – may become familiar with Christ, in the same way.
But they become Christian only by knowing Him, the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ.
Christ is a reality to Christians. He has a fundamental impact on our lives. This does not make the facts about Him immaterial. Nor is it meant to suggest that the evidence for Christ’s existence and His teachings is in any way lacking.
But, in the end, it comes down to faith – something for which Christians are frequently belittled. The evidence may be compelling. Christ’s fulfillment of prophecy was certainly astounding. Belief cannot, however, be decreed.
“And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered…So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city” (Luke 2: 1, 3).
Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, You can use even the harshest governmental and legal decrees to Your ends. How perfect a demonstration that You would have utilized the exercise of Roman power to Your purposes, in the birth of our Savior! Emperors and kings will come and go, but You remain.
When it is time for our accounting, may we be able to claim Salvation through Your Son, Jesus Christ. May we be able to say on behalf of our nation that it stood as a beacon to those in darkness.
We ask this in His holy Name.
Amen
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
My mother died this week. A woman of great faith, she is, we know, with the Lord. But she leaves behind her a great emptiness. Joy and sorrow mingled.
Transported in a cattle car during World War II, my mother came to this country a refugee with nothing except a lion’s heart. Standing only 4’10”, she was a tender, vulnerable woman, but gave of that heart generously to family, friends, and strangers alike.
Every Christmas, while she and my father still had the small delicatessen which provided their livelihood, my mother would sign and hand out hundreds of cards to customers. Proud to be an American (but speaking only broken English), my mother offered service and kindness in equal measure – a smile thrown in for free. Everyone to her was simply “honey” or “sweetheart”.
My mother was warned not to try doing business in Harlem, plagued during that era by poverty, crime, racial tension, and widespread heroin addiction. But from the time she was a young girl in Hungary, she had dreamed of working behind a counter. And she loved it. Customers would wave to her as she got off the subway, and keep watch while she walked to the store to make sure she stayed safe. She was my more assertive father’s strength, and was never harmed.
My mother never grew rich, but always called herself a “rich girl”. That meant she was surrounded by those she loved.
Unable to attend school beyond third grade due to the war, my mother encouraged her children in all their endeavors. She believed we could do anything. When I expressed reservations about moving out of state to take a job promotion, she said reassuringly, “Don’t worry, honey. They speak English there.” Read more…
Whole Foods Market, New Orleans, LA (CC A-SA 3.0 Unported)
“But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace” (Psalm 37: 11).
Ours is a nation that has been richly blessed. Walk into any supermarket. The variety of apples alone is staggering. Fujis, Romes, MacIntoshes, Granny Smiths, Cortlands, Sonyas, Royal Galas, and Golden Delicious – they line up, row upon row.
Next come the pears – Boscs, Comices, Forelles, Bartletts, and Anjous.
Fresh peaches and tree ripened plums vie with imported apricots and navel oranges the size of softballs, for our attention. Persian cucumbers rest next to bell and jalapeno peppers. Tomatoes range in size from beefsteak to cherry and Compari.
Can we not manage to share this abundance? Can we not manage to see our own differences as assets?
May God give us generous hearts. May we all, black or white, MacIntosh or Rome, red, yellow or brown, find a way to live together in peace.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
“Christ in the Temple” by Heinrich Hofmann, Photo by Bradley Slade, Riverside Church, NY (PD-ArtlPD-Age-100)
Years ago, as I was passing by a schoolyard on a winter’s evening, the sight of a solitary young boy playing basketball caught my attention.
It was beginning to snow, but the boy seemed unaware of the weather, despite his thin jacket. By the light of a nearby street lamp, I could see an expression of intense concentration on his face. Tirelessly, he shot for the hoop, retrieved and dribbled the ball, then shot again.
Anyone could tell that he loved the game.
Still, I wondered why he wasn’t in a warm room somewhere, having supper with his brothers and sisters at a noisy table. I wondered if his mother wasn’t worried about him, anxious for his welfare. Perhaps she knew from past experience that she could always find him on the court.
While on a trip to Jerusalem with Joseph and Mary, the child Jesus was inadvertently left behind in the city, causing great consternation. He was found three days later in the temple, listening to and questioning the teachers there.
Asked by His earthly parents why He had caused them such concern, Jesus replied:
“Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2: 49).
The statement was an early declaration of Jesus’ divinity. While we can make no such claim ourselves, we, too, should be about our Father’s business.
What then is that business? Surely, the God Who made men and women with all variety of abilities and vocations did not intend that we restrict our service to Him to a single sphere of human endeavor. He does not favor prelates over plumbers or stockbrokers over street sweepers. Read more…
“Isaiah Wall” – Bible verse across the street from the UN in New York City, Photo by Capt. Phoebus (Public Domain)
Rarely in human history has a year passed without war somewhere on the globe. War is mankind’s legacy and curse.
There has been extraordinary heroism associated with war: by Greeks at Thermopylae; by Saxons at Hastings; by French at Orleans; by Irish at the Boyne; by English against the Spanish Armada, at the Somme, and the Battle of Britain; by Americans at Lexington and Concord, Gettysburg, and Normandy on D-Day.
Not to mention the bravery of nameless dead on nameless battlefields. World War II alone had over 60 million casualties.
“…They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Is. 2: 4).
Lord God, with wars and rumors of wars all around us, we seek Your guidance and protection. Bless our nation in these difficult times. Keep our loved ones safe, and our troops strong.
Help us to defend the right, as we work toward peace. Whether our sphere of influence is great or small, teach us to bring calm where there is strife, unity where there is division, and love where there is hate.
Amen
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
A Lawyer's Prayers 