Shifting blame is a sure sign
we are the “sons” of Adam, who not only blamed Eve, but God too—“After all,
God, you gave this woman to me!” I wonder what the rest of Adam’s
very long life was like. How long did it take him to stop blaming God? Imagine how awful it must have been to see the consequences of his wrong choice played out in subsequent generations.
But aions later,
God is still getting the blame for the world's troubles. “Mother
Nature,” a euphemism for a sovereign God, is blamed for every natural disaster; and every man-caused tragedy evokes the thought on everyone's mind, “Where was God?” When
calamity strikes you, what is your first response!?
I know this blog post is not the right venue for a ‘theodicy’—a
defense of God’s character in an evil world. Suffice it to say that one day,
Satan will be judged; and sin and suffering will cease. Then everyone who blamed God will
understand. Until then, let us make every effort to stay in the “No-Blame Zone.”
Author/psychologist Larry Crabb says, “A flaw in our view of Christian marriage (and all Christian life) is the appealing emphasis on becoming happy. Our peppy songs about joyful Christianity neglect the need to develop a holy, obedient walk with God no matter what personal suffering may be involved.”
In “If God Is Good,” Randy Alcorn writes “If we come to see the purpose of the universe as God’s long-term glory rather than our short-term happiness, then we will undergo a critical paradigm shift in tackling the problem suffering.” Likewise, Greg Laurie writes, “The purpose of the universe is God’s glory, not our happiness. We tend to think of the world as revolving around us. We are the main characters of our own novels. And when something bad happens, we want to know why this is happening to me.”
It seems to me if we are in the throes of apocalyptic events, we can expect more suffering—none of us will escape. Are we ready? Randy Alcorn answers: “We shouldn’t wait until suffering comes, to start learning how to face it, any more than we should wait to fall into the water before we start learning how to scuba dive.” How do you learn? When trials come, choose joy.
God says "let us make man in our image." Man says, "let's make God into our image!" How does he do that? With his “fallen” imagination, he projects his ideas and feelings onto God, in effect, “humanizing” Him. Through Isaiah, God says, “You thought I was just like you.” (50:21)
For example, we think God's anger is like ours. But while ours is a mixture of impatience, retaliation, and self-defense, God’s is righteous: it is anger against sin. God hates sin; hates the pain it causes; hates how it separates us from Him. But He loves mankind (Jn 3:16). For that reason, "God demonstrated His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Ro. 5:8).
The story of the prodigal son illustrates this beautifully. While the son sat in a pig pen of sinful choices, imagining his father's anger, he projected punishment where there was only love and forgiveness. He could not imagine his father was waiting and longing for his return. After times of disobedience, the Jews would distance themselves from God. The prophets tried to tell them God was not mad at them: “God longs to be gracious to you; and He is waiting on high to show you mercy; the Lord of Hosts says, ‘Return to Me; I love you with an everlasting love.’" (Is. 30:18; Zech. 1:3; Jer. 31::3)
A few weeks ago on CNN, NY Times columnist Thomas Friedman was interviewed about his new book, “That Used to Be Us,” regarding the economy's ruinous effect on the American dream. One ‘sound bite’ quote in particular caught my attention: “We can either have a hard decade or a bad century.” Of course he is referring to the hard choices we must make now for the sake of our grandchildren’s future. The statement not only captures the difficult dilemma of our generation, but states a principle that is pregnant with deeper meaning to those who have ears to hear it!
Perhaps unknowingly, Friedman has revealed a spiritual principle: short-term losses are necessary for long-term gains. In God’s economy, “time” is the short and “eternity” is long. Jesus stated it clearly: if you try to keep your life now, you will lose it in the future (no treasures in heaven) (Matthew 16:25; 6:20). And not only that, but our gain is also a present reality. To the degree we suffer the loss of all things now, we will gain Christ both now and in eternity (Phil 3:8), in the end, receiving “a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:11).
While my employment with the Federal government may have been my occupation for 25 years, it was never my avocation. So, on the very first day I was eligible to retire (my 60th birthday), I did. Some well-intentioned friends tried to disuade me—“the economy is not doing well,” they reminded me, “and if you stay a few more years, you will have a bigger pension.” But I was convinced there was a better use of my waning years. I knew God was re-writing the Script.
I thought of the dramatic, action-filled life of David, who died full of years, confident he had done everything God called him to do—a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22). I thought of the suffering and triumph of Paul, who in his last years, said “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful” (2 Tim 4:6 NLT).
Every day of our lives on earth, God has a plan, a script. Though I am currently investing my time in the lives of my students, I know it is not the final Script. No doubt there are many new adventures ahead of me. May I remind us all that as we look at the life choices ahead of us that we remember the Jesus is not only the author but the finisher of our life of faith (Heb. 12:2)? He has already written the Script. But one day, time will run out, and your life will "flash" before your eyes. Will it be worth watching?
