Saturday, May 23, 2009

Hate for Hate

It's Saturday morning, 10:22am. I am working my Saturday shift for the month. I primarily respond to emails sent to the Admissions Office. When I left work yesterday, I left with a sense of accomplishment: the inbox was completely cleared out when I left to go home. This morning, there were 64 messages waiting. At least half of them are hateful letters of disdain for a recent news article published about Liberty University. Each email filled with words like "biggot," "hypocrites," "hope you enjoy Hell," etc. So ugly.

Part of me finds the need to defend myself. The other part of me is just frustrated. I'm not even really that frustrated about the actual situation, but rather the nature of people. When people groups have opposing view points, both point to "freedom of speech." I don't believe in tolerance, since I believe in absolute Truth. But I do believe in grace, love, and compassion. I see fallacy in hateful emails calling any group hateful. I do understand expressing concerns and opposing view points; that I can reckon with. I can understand asking questions and challenging opposing positions, but cannot fathom the logic in sending hate messages claiming someone is hateful. Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? It is truly tiresome.

As Christians, we mustn't hate. We must stand for Truth, but even Jesus prayed for those killing Him as He hung on the cross. Stephen, too, prayed for those stoning Him. Why, then, in an age of "free speech," and "personal rights," do we slander and kill each other for opposing view points? I don't expect that we all see eye-to-eye. I do expect that we reason, talk, ask questions...not throw stones in glass houses. Who wants to listen to someone hating them, no matter what side you're on with a position? Instead, let us love each other as human beings, created in the imago dei, and seek to ask questions, challenge positions in Truth and concern, and pray for each other.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Today I read a news article about three men arrested for pursuing Jihad in New York City. Militant tactics were to be used to kill the infidel. Fox News headlines quoted "...if he were to die a martyr, he would go to paradise." My heart ached for that man.

You see, when it comes down to it, people want the same thing: to love and be loved. We all want perfection, beauty, splendor. We are made for it. We ache for it. Somehow in the mix-ups and mess ups, people kill for it! Our selfish pursuits will do whatever we think is necessary for admiration, affection, and hope.

People have an innate sense of justice. We know when something is not the way that it is supposed to be, even if we cannot exactly pinpoint what that means. So we battle for correction, fight against seeming (or actual) injustice, and ultimately, we fight for perfection.

Filanthropists, businessmen, missionaries, teachers, presidents, bank tellers, grocery store clerks, trash collectors, and the unemployed strive for it. Radical extremists fight for it. Men will blow themselves up in planes, cars, or otherwise for the hope of paradise. So even a murderer aches for it, and therefore, is worth compassion and sympathy even if warped, evil ways of getting it are used.

We long for the hope of things to come. Lies have been told about how to attain it, but the truth is we don't attain it. We are freely given it. We have all grasped at the wind for perfection, beauty, and what we are made for. Through Christ, we can take hold of that for which He has taken hold of us---the beauty and hope of something far greater than we can attain ourselves.

Saturday, March 07, 2009

Epic

The epic is my reality. The classic tale of good versus evil, journey and struggle, battles and wars, victory and triumph all resound within my heart as Truth---as eternity written on the hearts of men.
My husband and I have been watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I become so engaged in such films because it registers with something so deep inside. More than once, I have stopped during the movie, looked at Adam, and given my thoughts on a given scene. As Frodo and Sam journey through dangerous worlds to destroy evil once and for all, others elsewhere also wage war against the darkness. Elves and dwarves overcome their hatred, realizing that they are on the same side. Even the trees fight for good! Everything is living, and everyone has a part. Hobbits become key figures in the defeat of the enemy, Gandolf all the while patient with their folly, guiding them with wisdom and truth.
I use Tolkien’s classic story as one example. I am not obsessed with Tolkien, I am obsessed with my God that wrote the story in our reality. We are all a part of the adventure. We are all engaged in war somehow, and our King will one day stand in ultimate victory.
I drove into work this morning listening to worship music, quite honestly for the first time in a long time. My heart was overflowing to lyrics like, “I will not be silent. I will not be quiet anymore. Every ocean, every sea, every river, every stream, every mountain, every tree, every blade of grass will sing!” and, “Shout unto God with a voice of triumph! Shout unto God with a voice of praise! Shout unto God with a voice of triumph! We lift your name up!” Anthems of victory, of honor, of Truth, of praise to a King; our King; My king.
I began following Jesus nearly 6 six years ago. In many ways it seems longer, in many ways it’s gone by faster than I could have ever thought it would. Praise be to God that like Gandolf, He has allowed me to be a part of this journey, but He is ever so patient with my folly. Today, I press on.
Sam sums it all up: I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going, because they were holding on to something.