Control

The leaf lives its appointed time, and does not struggle against the wind that carries it away. The leaf does no harm, and finally falls to nourish new leaves. So it should be with all men and women. –Aram the Tinker

At first glance this quote appears to advocate giving up. “Just be like the leaf…go where the wind takes you,” offends our American sensibilities. “God helps those who help themselves,” is our motto. I am wondering if this is just a farce, a clever lie meant to hide the fact that we have no control. Maybe we are more like the leaf than we think.

I have been thinking a lot about control. Who is in control? We say God is in control but we also “help ourselves” so He can “help” us. We hate the idea of God determining our steps but we say He is in control. When life is going well we marvel at our brilliance; when it is bad we blame God and try to get out. Do we really even have a clue what we are talking about?

What can we control? We can’t control the weather. We saw that last week when our cities became rivers and our parking lots became lakes. We put so much effort into stopping the rain from damaging our stuff and we still get surprised. We can’t control life and death. Abortions go wrong and the child lives and fertility drugs can fail to come through for us. Some live to 90; some are lucky to reach 9. We can’t even control ourselves. Listen to what Paul has to say in Romans 7: 21-24, “It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin?” Even Paul seemed to be out of control.

We all want control of our lives. We usually want control of others lives too. I am not sure we will ever get it. How can we? All out attempts to keep the rain out, to stay alive and to stop sinning fail. What choice do we have but to give control to someone who can do it? Paul says later that the Answer is held only in Jesus Christ our Lord. He did not deliver us so we could control our destiny. He liberated us so we could be a part of His destiny for us. When are we going to learn the lesson of the leaves?

Verses to ponder: Matthew 16:24-26, Romans 7 and 8, Job 38

Medication

“I don’t want medication, just give me liberation. Even if it cuts my legs right out from underneath…” – Derek Webb “Medication”

How many times have we heard…“Jesus makes everything better?” This seems to be the story we have all been told. Please don’t get me wrong, I know He makes all things work for the good of those who love Him. I simply think that we misunderstand what the good is and what making our life better really consists of. We think goodness equals a life free of conflict and pain. If things are going our way we believe/pretend that things are going God’s way too. All that suffering was good for Paul and Peter…it was a different time back then. Today we believe Christ has called us to health, wealth and prosperity, the American dream, etc. etc. I am not sure that this is the case.

Many times in my life, I have approached God like I approach a bottle of Advil. Something bad happens (an interpersonal conflict, bad news, I sin, whatever) and I go to God for a quick fix. “Deliver me!” I scream. I stop caring about how dealing with the situation might make me better. I just want out of it. I will minimize it, I will blame someone else, I will do anything short of actually coming to grips with the fact I might need fixing. I want Him to cure the symptom (the situation). He wants to cure the problem (me and how I react to the situation).

I wonder if it grieves the heart of God when I just want medication. Forget how this situation might make me more perfect or liberate me from a damaging attitude. I want God to make it better not make me better. “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect,” goes right out the window when I am faced with a circumstance that makes me uncomfortable. I cite the founding fathers and pursue happiness when God demands holiness. Give me the pill…hold the treatment.

I see Christ continually challenging us to walk a narrower road and embrace a wider view of what making everything better means. It does not mean deliverance from all problems we face. It means being uncomfortably aware of our shortcomings and being forced to face life with the strength of Christ. Freedom in Christ will not come to the “spiritual pill-popper.” It will only come to the man and the woman who has the courage to face the death of self. We have to feel the burn and the loss of our comforts in order to gain the comforts and grace of God’s great kingdom.

Talk amongst yourselves