Freedom Lies Within

My whole being will exclaim,
       "Who is like you, O LORD ?
       You rescue the poor from those too strong for them,
       the poor and needy from those who rob them." Psalm 35:10

Today’s Reading: Psalm 35-36: Acts 25

This is one of those recurring themes that I find puzzling. If this is true then why are there so many poor and exploited people in this world? Are the poor to wait for this rescuing when they have met their end? Or does this rescue occur in life? Are the poor required to act in such away to open the doors of rescue so that God can move?

From what I remember being taught on this as a child, that last sentence is the key to the argument on this one. How can anything change in someone’s life if they are unwilling to move, to take a step, to take a leap of faith on making that change occur?

Many of the world’s greatest social movements were fueled by the faithful action of the poor. Many folks risked their livelihood and even their lives for the possibility that their children would have a chance at the freedom and prosperity that they could only dream of. But what about the Emmitt Tills of the world? What about the children who starve to death before the regime that they live under can be overthrown? What about those who paid the ultimate price without receiving the fruits of their labor?

This is one of the mysteries behind this notion of redemption for the poor that stays with me. On the one hand we have seen time and time again that when our leadership becomes corrupt and oppresses the poor they eventually fall. But on the other hand it seems like many of those who lived under the thumb of that oppression die there, never having seen the rescue that is suggested in the verse above.

Kinda troubling…

This brings me back to the story of Stephen; the first martyr of The Way, those who first believed in Jesus and carried on after his death and resurrection. He never did get to see the fruits of his labor. He was killed as a result of the oppression that he suffered under. And with his dying breaths he said:

"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them."  Acts 7:59-60

When I think about this story it makes me realize how much I am unable to see. From the outside I see the hardships of many. But from the outside one cannot see what is in a person’s heart.

True freedom lies within.

Just as Stephen showed through his dying breaths that he was free in the midst of oppression, maybe many of the folks that seem oppressed to me are freer than I have ever been?

No, this does not make me feel better about the conditions that some of us live in, but it does remind me that I cannot possibly see or know the whole truth. Maybe I’ll have an answer to this one day. If I do I’ll be sure to share it with you.  

Twitter Rant: On Love

My last post made me think about something. Is there love without God?

Can one truly love without accepting the love of God?

I'm sure my atheist/agnostic friends out there would disagree with me but I'm not sure how any kind of lasting love exists without God.

What is the fuel of love without God? Emotion? Thoughts? Desires? All of those things are fleeting.

When folks get married they promise to be together till death do them part.

I feel that is a promise that romantic love cannot make on its own. It cannot walk that path on its own two legs.

I do not aim to prove this because proof cannot be had when it comes to spiritual matters or matters of the heart.

But this is what I believe.

I have tried to love without including God, and like all man made things, that love passed away.

I am now on a journey of love with God and I believe that will be the key... the companion that we have on the road.

I see now that the "whys" of the world don't matter nearly as much as the actions they endeavor to understand.

Love is much like the other beautiful things of this life. It is to be done, not understood.

And hopefully our leaps of faith will allow us to fly over the canyons of disappointment to the lands of joy and fulfillment.

No Ordinary Love

When they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:59-60

Today’s Reading: Job 3-4; Acts 7:44-60

Man… Stephen was a G.

Yes, his speech was impressive. His knowledge was keen; but that wasn’t the most impressive part. He literally turned the other cheek as stones were flying at it.

That’s no ordinary love.

And yes, love it is. I don’t know what else it could be. What else is irrationally powerful enough to inspire someone to ask God to forgive the very people who are actively killing him?

Love is the only thing that powerful.

I just finished reading this book called “The Four Loves” by C.S. Lewis. In it he talks about what he identifies as the four kinds of love: Affection, Friendship, Eros, and Charity. Affection is a need based love, like the love that a child has for their mother. Friendship is the love shared by two people who chose to share some aspect of their lives together in a non-romantic way. Eros is romantic love that often includes expression in sexuality.

But Charity is very different. Charity is God based love. It is not based in our needs, thoughts and desires as the other three are. On the contrary, it is based on our connection to something higher.

It is fueled by God.

He uses this analogy of a garden. The three human loves are the trees and flowers and bushes, and charity is the gardener who keeps the beautiful garden in order. It prunes and cuts away so that the garden can flourish and grow.

Without this God love, he argues, the other loves cannot stand on their own for long.

He makes some really great points and of course, as with any argument, there are positions to be challenged and debated.

But, when I look at this story of Stephen, a man who so loved his killers that he spent his last breaths praying for their forgiveness… I am convinced that there is something special about the love required to take that action.

I don’t believe we can love this way on our own.

Our history is filled with such heroes; people who have dedicated their lives (and lost their lives in the process) to the betterment of mankind. I don’t know how someone decides to do that. And even if they decided so, I don’t know how they continue on and carry out the task till the end.

Maybe these folks are capable of loving more than me but I don’t really believe that to be true.

I believe that they had help, divine help, which enabled them to walk that path.

And just like Stephen they made the world a better place. That, in and of itself, is more than worth the sacrifices they suffered.