This the transcript of a speech I did in 2007 in a Christian Speech and Debate League.
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The best day of my life, will be the day I die! I can not wait to die!
If this sounds dark, depressing or just plain weird, then you’re just the person I want to talk to. I have something that I ecstatic to share with you. I have freedom from the fear and mystery of death. I have a crazy, God-centered, anticipation to die. Not anticipation of death, but of dying. I’ll explain the difference in greater depth later on. My goal today, to persuade Christians to live to die, not in a morbid, dark way, but instead by opening your eyes to what life is, and what it really means to die.
My goal, is to persuade Christians to live with this whole new twist on life, living on a higher plain, by directing their focus back to the center point of our faith.
I’m going to split this into two sections. The first will focus on why Christians shouldn’t fear death or dying…at all. And the second section will focus on why Christians should actually be looking forward to dying, with this God-centered anticipation. And that’s the true essence of what I want to talk about.
Section One
Within section one, there will be three points on why Christians should not fear death, and not fear dying. And at the end of this first section, I hope that you will see my reasons for believing what I believe about death.
The first point is that you will die. Sorry, It’s gonna happen. The statistic is staggering, ten out ten people die. I once got a quote through email; it said ‘health is merely the slowest rate at which one can die.’ And that may seem a bit depressing, but it’s true! Regardless of what we want, think or do, we will die. Everyone does.
Hold on. My point is that we should not fear death. But my first reason for this is that death is inevetable. But isn’t that the reason that people fear it? Don’t we instinctively fear what we cannot run away from, or escape?
Think about it this way: Assuming you don’t die in the near future, tomorrow will come. Do you fear tomorrow? Probably not. Tomorrow is coming whether you like or not, just like death.
Now, you may be afraid of what you have to do tomorrow. For example, many people fear public speaking. So the day before you are going to speak, would you be afraid? But I doubt that anyone feared the day itself. Now, let’s take that logic, and apply it to death. It’s wouldn’t make sense to fear death, because it’s inevitably coming, just like tomorrow. And of course, some people may fear what they have to do on the day of their death. But Christians are not any of those people.
And that is the second point in section one. Christians have nothing to fear in being judged by God, because we have been made right through Christ Jesus.
This brings me into the third point.
The sun rises every morning, without my saying so, or not. I have no control over it. So I don’t worry about it. My worrying about the sun won’t change a thing. The same thing goes for our deaths. In Ecclesiastes 8, it says that no man can prevent the day of death. So, if I can’t delay it, it is pointless for me to worry or be concerned about it.
I cannot stop the day of my death, just like I can’t stop the earth in motion.
But is that always true? Is it really true to say that not being in control is sufficient reason to not worry? Any parent who’s gone through driver training with their teenager will know what I’m talking about.
There are situations where not being in control is precisely why we worry. Driver training, roller coasters…although for me, those two were probably the same! The point is that there appears to be situations where you’re not in control, and it’s fine, like the stars and the Sun. But there’re also situations where you’re not in control, and you are definitely NOT fine!
And this is the essence of the third point. What’s the difference? How can you not be in control of the world, and be fine with that. And not be in control of the car, and NOT be fine with that.
The deciding factor between the two, in my opinion is actually two reasons. The first is the knowledge of who is in control and the second is whether or not you trust that person with being in control. So you’re ok with God controlling the universe, but uncomfortable with your teenager in controlling the car.
But here’s the clincher! I trust God to keep the universe in check, right? Of course! Well, that same God has complete control over me and my death. Psalms 48:14 says “For such is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death.” So, the same God who controls the earth and its orbit in space has complete control over me and my death. I have the freedom to hand over all worries and concerns about the time of my death into His perfect hands. I can truly be fine with not having the ability to delay my death. My death is where it belongs, in God’s perfect hands. I don’t have to worry about it anymore. And you don’t have to worry about ether. We are both free from the fear of death, and the fear of dying.
It was Jim Elliot who said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.” That says it all! I’m no fool because I gladly give up my life (which I cannot keep anyway) to gain what I cannot lose!
Hebrew 2:14
14Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself (speaking of Christ) likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
So God has made powerless the one who had the power of death. Death, and the one who controlled it, have no power over us anymore. God has taken away the fear of death. So we as Christians have no business putting ourselves under that fear again.
Paul said in 1st Corinthians 15:55
"O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O GRAVE, WHERE IS YOUR STING?"
We should be the only people in society who have the crazy reputation of not fearing death.
So in conclusion of the first section, death is coming so you don’t have to worry about it or when it comes. God is in complete control of your death. And we can trust God, with that control. Death brings everyone to Christ, and Christians have nothing to fear in that meeting. So, there’s really no rhyme or reason for Christians to have a fear of death or dying. God has taken that fear away so that we can be free in Christ.
Before I go into part two, I need to address something that I alluded to in the beginning. I said in my introduction, there is a difference between looking forward to death, and looking forward to dying. And I need to explain that in more detail. Death is when your body dies. Dying is your soul moving on to eternal life. The center focus of death is the decomposing of this body. The center focus of dying is the moving on of this soul. If dying is going to your friend’s house, death is the act of leaving your house. I look forward to dying, moving on to eternal life, not to death, the fading of this body.
This brings me into part two
Why you should be looking forward to the day you die.
Now, I don’t fear roaches, but that certainly doesn’t mean I look forward to them. In the same way, you may not fear death, but it doesn’t mean you look forward to it.
Revelation 21:4 in reference to the end of days, it says:
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Who wouldn’t look forward to that? Death, crying, sorrow, pain will all be gone forever.
But I said a “God centered, anticipation to die.” Not a comfort centered anticipation.
And that’s what it is: God centered.
Personally, I like Norman Rockwell pictures a lot. I’m a sucker for Norman Rockwell. I would have considered it a great honor if I could have met him, and spent some time talking with him. That would have been fantastic! I could enjoy his art and be amazed at his creativity, but that would all fade into the background if I could have met him.
Now think about this, God is the artist and you are the art. How you could be amazed at his creation and enjoy this life, but that all fades into background at the thought of finally spending the rest of forever with the ingenious artist of your entire being!
No pain and no tears are certainly wonderful thoughts. But those are not the reasons I look forward to my death. ‘A God-centered, anticipation to die.’ That is the reason. When I die I can finally fall at my savior’s feet, and love Him and worship Him for the rest of eternity.
The disciple Andrew was this kind of man. According to “Foxe’s book of Christian martyrs” by John Foxe, he was brought before the Roman proconsul told not to preach in the name of Jesus Christ, or he would be crucified. Andrew replied “I would not have preached the honor and glory of the cross, if I feared the death of the cross.” He was condemned to die. Upon seeing the cross on which he would die, he said “Oh cross, most welcomed and longed for! With a willing mind joyfully and desirously, I come to you, being the scholar of Him, which did hang on you, because I have always been your lover, and yearn to embrace you!” Whoa! Where are the Christians like that today? Where are they? It is my goal to be one, and to raise up others out of the ashes of a life centered faith. The entire premise of our Christians faith is the dying. The dying of Christ, the dying to self, dying to sin, looking forward to the day where death itself dies, and we can enjoy the life that we died and enjoy the one who died for us.
After saying all this, I need to make this point. I would never dream of taking my own life! I love God too much to do that. It’s like two couples who are dating. The first couple says, “To show how much we love each other, we’ll sleep together before we’re married.” The second couple says, “To show how much we love each other, we will wait until we’re married to sleep together.” Both couples lay claim to the reason of showing their love, but with opposite outcomes. If the first couple truly loved each other, they would never dream of jumping the gun like that. If someone truly loves God, they would never dream of taking their life. I love God too much to take my own life.
But really, can you imagine waking up every morning and saying “God, if today is the day that I can finally see you, then that’ll be the best day of my life!” What a beautiful thought! If you look forward to death, then it can’t scare you! And if death has no hold on you, what does? What can scare you, if death brings what you most want? Eternity with the God you love. Embracing death, with God at the center of your life, puts a whole new paradigm on life. Life is a time of spreading this fire that God has set in your heart. What if you’re persecuted? What if you’re a social outcast? What if…? Count it all joy, because trouble now, brings treasure in heaven. What if they kill you? So? Then that would be the best thing that could happen.
So life is full of tribulation, which brings treasure in heaven. Death achieves what life cannot. Death is the best thing a Christian can hope for. But as Mark Cahill puts it, there’s “One Thing You Can’t Do In Heaven.” And that’s sharing Christ Jesus, here on earth. Life is a harvest field, and death is the only medium between this life of pain and eternal life with God. Live to die. Don’t be discouraged, however many trials come today, or the rest of your life, we have a beautiful promise at the end of the road.
This is the new twist on life, and higher plain that I mentioned in the beginning. This is a whole new paradigm. Life is the only time we can spread the word of God. If we’re rejected or persecuted, that stores up treasure in heaven. So life holds no fears, and to die is our reward. Keith Getty put it this way in his song, “In Christ Alone”, “No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me.” Death brings what Christians live for, eternal life with the God we love. What is there to fear in that?
The best day of my life, will be the day I die!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
My Brother Joshua
This is a paper I wrote for an English assignment. Our assignment was to write a profile of a person in our life who has had a great impact on us. So as a practice in allegory, I profiled Jesus as my big brother, and called him Joshua.
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My Brother Joshua
My brother Joshua is a man worth profiling. He is my oldest brother by adoption and my best friend. I first met him when I was very young, but finally decided to be adopted by his family in the spring of 2006. Joshua is not hard to like. If anyone really gets to know him, they will find him the most faithful of brothers. He and I became very fast friends and it’s not hard to see why. He has a passion for helping others. This is what first drew me to him. People that are despised, he loves. People who are outcast he takes in. He loves everything America despises. America loves the beautiful, the whole and the strong. Joshua loves the unattractive, the broken and the weak.
I will never forget the day I finally made the decision to be adopted. It was mid-May and was about to turn sixteen. I was working in my yard when Joshua stopped by. He and I talked while I worked.
“Hey Stephen”
I smiled because whenever he says, “Hey Peter” like that, I know he is going to teach me something worth knowing. I always enjoy it when he chooses to teach me something. He is very wise and very patient. He loves to teach in ways that, at first, confuse me. Generally he will say something that seems simple, but as soon as I apply it to my life, I find it’s harder than it appeared.
“Hey Stephen” he said. “You’ve got one day to live.”
I paused. His odd statement puzzled me. I have one day to live? Did he know something about my health that I didn’t? Why did he say that? I like to try to figure out what he means on my own, but this time I had to ask.
“What are you talking about?”
He smiled. He knew he had piqued my curiosity.
“Look at it this way,” he started. “Yesterday is gone. You can’t change yesterday anymore than you can change the first day of time. It’s completely lost; only found in your memories.”
He gave me a second for it to sink in, and continued.
“And who has guaranteed you tomorrow? What rule is written that says you will have another day? Yesterday only exists in your memories, and tomorrow only exists in your plans. The only time you truly have, is the brief moment we call today. You only have one day to live.”
The second time he said it, the phrase made more sense. I did only have one day to live. This was Joshua’s way of saying “our offer of adoption still stands. What do you say? You want to be my brother?”
Over the next few days I talked to my guardians and Joshua’s dad and decided that it was the right thing to do. Joshua is now my oldest brother, but he is not my only sibling. I was adopted into a large family. A few of my new siblings fight far too much. This is the one drawback to my new home. They disagree on a lot of little things. But the one thing that we all agree on is that we really like Joshua. We all love him and try to let our love be the thing that keeps us together. It’s no secret that we almost idolize him. Some say we idolize him too much and others say we don’t idolize him enough. Still, he’s everything that we want to be. We just have a hard time agreeing on other things. But Joshua is always patient and always kind. He never lets our bickering get to him. He is the living example of what love and strength is.
Joshua is by far my best friend. No one knows me nearly as well as he does. But friends don’t become best friends just because of the good times they’ve shared together. Usually, they become best friends because of the hard and difficult times they’ve shared. Joshua has always been there when I needed him. He always hurts with those who are hurt. But even in the hard times, he’s trying to teach me something. Once, after a very painful breakup, he taught me one of the most helpful lessons I have ever learned. We went for a long walk and spent several minutes in silence. Then he said,
“Hey Stephen”,
in that special way again. But I couldn’t find the courage to smile this time. He continued,
“Gold is put into a fire for a very important reason.”
Again he gave me a moment to let it sink in.
“When gold is put into the fire, it melts until its liquid. Then the impurities rise to the surface and are scraped away. Gold cannot be purified unless it is put through a fire. This is why we suffer – to be made strong and pure. Don’t ever run away from hard times. In every fire you go through, there is a lesson. Look for it. If you don’t look, you may miss the jewel that’s only found in the ashes.”
As he was still speaking, I already knew that it was true. I was a little ashamed of myself for being so easily distracted. I assured him that I would be looking for the lesson.
Joshua has this strength and love because of our dad. He and my new father are exactly the same. If anyone wanted to get to know my dad, they should get to know Joshua. He does what he sees our dad doing. He opens our door to anyone who knocks on it, and helps anyone who asks. He and his dad decided that they would not force me into being adopted and they gave me the final decision in the matter. All they did was offer. The choice was mine. There are many reasons why I chose what I did. But all of the little reasons pale in comparison to the one factor of Joshua.
Some people wanted to know more about the actual person my brother is. In this profile, I’ve only told what I know first-hand about him. There are other books written about him, if anyone wants to know about the man himself. You see, Joshua is a Hebrew name. When it is translated into Greek, it’s Jesus. Joshua is Jesus Christ. This entire essay is an allegory. It has a truth deeper than the literal meanings of the words. But my adoption is a real as night and day, black and white, and heaven and hell. When I was adopted as a member into the family of God, Jesus became my older brother. We both share the same father, and my earthy parents became only my guardians. Other Christians are now my brothers and sisters. And it’s true; they do fight far too much.
It’s hard to describe someone who means as much to me as Joshua does. In all honesty, I owe everything I have and everything I am to him. No one person has ever had as much impact on my life as Joshua has. Needless to say, my brother is the man I hope to become. Through him I have grown and become wiser. He is my hero, my mentor, and my friend. No one would do badly if they tried to be more like him.
My Brother Joshua
My brother Joshua is a man worth profiling. He is my oldest brother by adoption and my best friend. I first met him when I was very young, but finally decided to be adopted by his family in the spring of 2006. Joshua is not hard to like. If anyone really gets to know him, they will find him the most faithful of brothers. He and I became very fast friends and it’s not hard to see why. He has a passion for helping others. This is what first drew me to him. People that are despised, he loves. People who are outcast he takes in. He loves everything America despises. America loves the beautiful, the whole and the strong. Joshua loves the unattractive, the broken and the weak.
I will never forget the day I finally made the decision to be adopted. It was mid-May and was about to turn sixteen. I was working in my yard when Joshua stopped by. He and I talked while I worked.
“Hey Stephen”
I smiled because whenever he says, “Hey Peter” like that, I know he is going to teach me something worth knowing. I always enjoy it when he chooses to teach me something. He is very wise and very patient. He loves to teach in ways that, at first, confuse me. Generally he will say something that seems simple, but as soon as I apply it to my life, I find it’s harder than it appeared.
“Hey Stephen” he said. “You’ve got one day to live.”
I paused. His odd statement puzzled me. I have one day to live? Did he know something about my health that I didn’t? Why did he say that? I like to try to figure out what he means on my own, but this time I had to ask.
“What are you talking about?”
He smiled. He knew he had piqued my curiosity.
“Look at it this way,” he started. “Yesterday is gone. You can’t change yesterday anymore than you can change the first day of time. It’s completely lost; only found in your memories.”
He gave me a second for it to sink in, and continued.
“And who has guaranteed you tomorrow? What rule is written that says you will have another day? Yesterday only exists in your memories, and tomorrow only exists in your plans. The only time you truly have, is the brief moment we call today. You only have one day to live.”
The second time he said it, the phrase made more sense. I did only have one day to live. This was Joshua’s way of saying “our offer of adoption still stands. What do you say? You want to be my brother?”
Over the next few days I talked to my guardians and Joshua’s dad and decided that it was the right thing to do. Joshua is now my oldest brother, but he is not my only sibling. I was adopted into a large family. A few of my new siblings fight far too much. This is the one drawback to my new home. They disagree on a lot of little things. But the one thing that we all agree on is that we really like Joshua. We all love him and try to let our love be the thing that keeps us together. It’s no secret that we almost idolize him. Some say we idolize him too much and others say we don’t idolize him enough. Still, he’s everything that we want to be. We just have a hard time agreeing on other things. But Joshua is always patient and always kind. He never lets our bickering get to him. He is the living example of what love and strength is.
Joshua is by far my best friend. No one knows me nearly as well as he does. But friends don’t become best friends just because of the good times they’ve shared together. Usually, they become best friends because of the hard and difficult times they’ve shared. Joshua has always been there when I needed him. He always hurts with those who are hurt. But even in the hard times, he’s trying to teach me something. Once, after a very painful breakup, he taught me one of the most helpful lessons I have ever learned. We went for a long walk and spent several minutes in silence. Then he said,
“Hey Stephen”,
in that special way again. But I couldn’t find the courage to smile this time. He continued,
“Gold is put into a fire for a very important reason.”
Again he gave me a moment to let it sink in.
“When gold is put into the fire, it melts until its liquid. Then the impurities rise to the surface and are scraped away. Gold cannot be purified unless it is put through a fire. This is why we suffer – to be made strong and pure. Don’t ever run away from hard times. In every fire you go through, there is a lesson. Look for it. If you don’t look, you may miss the jewel that’s only found in the ashes.”
As he was still speaking, I already knew that it was true. I was a little ashamed of myself for being so easily distracted. I assured him that I would be looking for the lesson.
Joshua has this strength and love because of our dad. He and my new father are exactly the same. If anyone wanted to get to know my dad, they should get to know Joshua. He does what he sees our dad doing. He opens our door to anyone who knocks on it, and helps anyone who asks. He and his dad decided that they would not force me into being adopted and they gave me the final decision in the matter. All they did was offer. The choice was mine. There are many reasons why I chose what I did. But all of the little reasons pale in comparison to the one factor of Joshua.
Some people wanted to know more about the actual person my brother is. In this profile, I’ve only told what I know first-hand about him. There are other books written about him, if anyone wants to know about the man himself. You see, Joshua is a Hebrew name. When it is translated into Greek, it’s Jesus. Joshua is Jesus Christ. This entire essay is an allegory. It has a truth deeper than the literal meanings of the words. But my adoption is a real as night and day, black and white, and heaven and hell. When I was adopted as a member into the family of God, Jesus became my older brother. We both share the same father, and my earthy parents became only my guardians. Other Christians are now my brothers and sisters. And it’s true; they do fight far too much.
It’s hard to describe someone who means as much to me as Joshua does. In all honesty, I owe everything I have and everything I am to him. No one person has ever had as much impact on my life as Joshua has. Needless to say, my brother is the man I hope to become. Through him I have grown and become wiser. He is my hero, my mentor, and my friend. No one would do badly if they tried to be more like him.
Resolved
These are my own resolutions for my life, as inspired by Johnathan Edwards (the theologian). I wrote these in a class that lasted far longer than my attention span.
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Resolved: To never err on the side of caution where God has called me to take a risk
Resolved: to not speak poorly of others behind their back, and to only do so to their face when I believe will bring some good to them.
Resolved: to not let the personality or appearance of someone cause me hesitation in sharing the gospel with them.
Resolved: to try, as best as I can, to love all people.
Resolved: to weigh the profit of any task against its importance in eternity.
Resolved: to live, as well as I can, with my own mortality in mind.
Resolved: to never open my mouth in prayer if my motive is a selfish one.
Resolved: if (or rather, when) I fail any one of these resolutions, I will not doubt the great forgiveness found in the grace of God.
Resolved: to never treat the greatness of God as common place.
Resolved: to never waste emotions on inanimate objects or unchangeable
circumstances.
Resolved: to go through my possessions often and see if there is anything which I would be ashamed to hold before the eyes of God.
Resolved: to pair actions with my beliefs.
Resolved: to consider I may be wrong before any disagreement damages a relationship.
Resolved: when I am confronted with my own error, I will not value my pride over the recognition of truth.
Resolved: to never, as well as I can, trade something which is best for something which is merely good.
Resolved: to read this list often, act on what I've written, and add to it when I can.
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10.27.09
Resolved: To not let nameless, vague, irrational fears cause me hesitation in following through in God's will.
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11.01.09
Resolved:
To love everyone. Regardless:
of their response
of their personality
of their race
of their usefulness to me
of their offences against me or anyone else
of their possibility of change
of the possibility of repayment
of their character
of how annoying they are
of how incompatible we are
of whether or not they ever know how much I've done for them
of how I feel
of who else loves them
of how long it takes
of how capable of love I feel
of how many times they've failed
of who knows
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Resolved: To never err on the side of caution where God has called me to take a risk
Resolved: to not speak poorly of others behind their back, and to only do so to their face when I believe will bring some good to them.
Resolved: to not let the personality or appearance of someone cause me hesitation in sharing the gospel with them.
Resolved: to try, as best as I can, to love all people.
Resolved: to weigh the profit of any task against its importance in eternity.
Resolved: to live, as well as I can, with my own mortality in mind.
Resolved: to never open my mouth in prayer if my motive is a selfish one.
Resolved: if (or rather, when) I fail any one of these resolutions, I will not doubt the great forgiveness found in the grace of God.
Resolved: to never treat the greatness of God as common place.
Resolved: to never waste emotions on inanimate objects or unchangeable
circumstances.
Resolved: to go through my possessions often and see if there is anything which I would be ashamed to hold before the eyes of God.
Resolved: to pair actions with my beliefs.
Resolved: to consider I may be wrong before any disagreement damages a relationship.
Resolved: when I am confronted with my own error, I will not value my pride over the recognition of truth.
Resolved: to never, as well as I can, trade something which is best for something which is merely good.
Resolved: to read this list often, act on what I've written, and add to it when I can.
--------------------------
10.27.09
Resolved: To not let nameless, vague, irrational fears cause me hesitation in following through in God's will.
--------------------------
11.01.09
Resolved:
To love everyone. Regardless:
of their response
of their personality
of their race
of their usefulness to me
of their offences against me or anyone else
of their possibility of change
of the possibility of repayment
of their character
of how annoying they are
of how incompatible we are
of whether or not they ever know how much I've done for them
of how I feel
of who else loves them
of how long it takes
of how capable of love I feel
of how many times they've failed
of who knows
Question Everything
Warning: This idea has the potential to be abused by the people who simply want support for their unhealthy, bias rebellion. This is not what I am advocating. This idea of questioning what we naturally assume is simply a technique which should be used in moderation and in a spirit of truth. Dear rebellious heart, I do not side with you or support your rebellion; I simply want those who blindly follow what the person ahead of them to wonder if they know where they’re going. This is not to incite rebellion; it is to inspire thought. There is a severe shortage of those who think; there is never a shortage of those who rebel. Please think.
This is based on the premise that there is a truth to be known; that truth can be attained. Granted, this idea of an attainable truth is not very popular in our humanistic, postmodern society, but I believe that if you search for truth, it can be found. I believe that our God is a God of order and design; that He has not set us adrift in the sea of blind luck and chance. I believe that our God has His hand in our world and is directing our world in a particular way. Matthew 6:25-26 says
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”
I believe that since our God is at work in our world, and that since our God is a God or design and order, we can see that design and order in His creation. Since we can see the design and order in the physical world, I believe we should be able to see the same design and order in the spiritual world as well.
I don’t know where you are right now as you read these words, but I can be fairly certain that you are in a physical location (ie. Your bed, a desk, couch, bath tub, outside…etc). So since I am sure that you are in a physical location, let’s do an exercise to illustrate what I mean. In a minute, I want you to look up from this note and look for, and note everything in the room that is red (if there is nothing in the room that is red, then pick a different color). Ready? Go.
(Seriously…why are you still reading? Just bear with me and try it.)
How did it go? Did you find stuff that was red? In the room I’m sitting in (I wrote this in the dorms at CIU) I can see the red gauge on the heater, the red light blinking on the smoke detector, the red light on my radio, some red letters on a bag of sugar, a red calendar and a warning label on a wire. Now think about it: without looking up, how many things in the room could you name from your search that are blue? Because you weren’t looking for things that were blue, you may find it difficult to recall from memory things in the room that are a different color than the one you were looking for.
What am I trying to say here? The point is that you found what you were looking for. You set out with a goal of something to find, and you found it. But you also didn’t find something else. Not only did you find something, you didn’t find something too. You set out to find red, and you found it. You did not set out to find yellow, and you (probably) didn’t find it. This is an encouragement and a warning.
If you set out to find truth, you will find what you’re looking for. This is true unless you either have a distorted concept of what red looks like, or there are no red things in the room you are currently in. The distorted color problem can be solved by fixing your idea of what red looks like. The lack of red objects in a room can solve itself by changing your physical location.
In a larger sense, if you set out to find out the truth about a bigger subject than colors, you will find it, provided you don’t have a distorted idea of what that truth looks like or from where you are, you simply can’t see the truth. The distorted truth problem can be solved by fixing your idea of what that truth (objective truth, not subjective truth) looks like. The inability to see that truth can be solved by changing your perspective.
That is the encouragement. The warning is that if you set out to find a particular color, you will find it, but that may be all you find. Better to enter a struggle for truth without our own ideas of what answer we’re looking for. This is the difference between Inductive reasoning and Deductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning is looking for the facts (colors) which support your pre-conceived conclusion (red). Inductive reasoning is looking for the conclusion, based off of the facts. I believe we need to use Inductive reasoning in our struggle for truth. If you look at a room and search for only red, you will find it. Unfortunately, you will miss all of the other colors in the room. Please don’t make this mistake in your quest for truth on a higher level. The consequences of using deductive reasoning in our search for colors are very minimal. However, as we raise the importance of the situation, we raise the possible benefit of the right answer and the possible risk of the wrong answer.
I take this long to introduce my technique for searching for truth, because this idea is dangerous. It can be abused, often is, but it doesn’t have to be.
Question everything:
If I question a situation, a fact, an idea or anything that can be questioned, I will come to one of two conclusions (assuming I weigh the situation correctly).
1) I would discover that what I am questioning was true the entire time
2) I will discover that what I’m questioning is false
If I were to question whether or not the chair I want to sit in is truly strong enough to hold me, I would come to one of two conclusions.
If I discover that what I thought was true, is true, then my level of faith in that truth after questioning will be far greater after, than before.
If I discover that what I thought was true, is actually false, then I have come to my senses and am now wiser than I was before (assuming I’m not too stubborn to accept truth for what it is, and I’m not trying to find facts to support my belief, rather than letting my belief be formed around the facts).
This idea has the potential of great good, but power always has the potential to be abused. This is why I take this long to present this idea. Please search for truth, with a spirit of truth. Search for truth with the understanding that what you think you know may be wrong. Search for truth with the understanding that what you assume may be the most dangerous thing you believe. C. S. Lewis said, and I agree, ““The most dangerous ideas in society are not the ones that are being argued, but the ones that are assumed.” It’s the ideas and beliefs that we simply assume are true, because we’ve always thought they were true. I have no qualms in questioning the foundations of my presuppositions--for if they're true, they can handle the questioning, but if they're false, why keep holding them?
This is based on the premise that there is a truth to be known; that truth can be attained. Granted, this idea of an attainable truth is not very popular in our humanistic, postmodern society, but I believe that if you search for truth, it can be found. I believe that our God is a God of order and design; that He has not set us adrift in the sea of blind luck and chance. I believe that our God has His hand in our world and is directing our world in a particular way. Matthew 6:25-26 says
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”
I believe that since our God is at work in our world, and that since our God is a God or design and order, we can see that design and order in His creation. Since we can see the design and order in the physical world, I believe we should be able to see the same design and order in the spiritual world as well.
I don’t know where you are right now as you read these words, but I can be fairly certain that you are in a physical location (ie. Your bed, a desk, couch, bath tub, outside…etc). So since I am sure that you are in a physical location, let’s do an exercise to illustrate what I mean. In a minute, I want you to look up from this note and look for, and note everything in the room that is red (if there is nothing in the room that is red, then pick a different color). Ready? Go.
(Seriously…why are you still reading? Just bear with me and try it.)
How did it go? Did you find stuff that was red? In the room I’m sitting in (I wrote this in the dorms at CIU) I can see the red gauge on the heater, the red light blinking on the smoke detector, the red light on my radio, some red letters on a bag of sugar, a red calendar and a warning label on a wire. Now think about it: without looking up, how many things in the room could you name from your search that are blue? Because you weren’t looking for things that were blue, you may find it difficult to recall from memory things in the room that are a different color than the one you were looking for.
What am I trying to say here? The point is that you found what you were looking for. You set out with a goal of something to find, and you found it. But you also didn’t find something else. Not only did you find something, you didn’t find something too. You set out to find red, and you found it. You did not set out to find yellow, and you (probably) didn’t find it. This is an encouragement and a warning.
If you set out to find truth, you will find what you’re looking for. This is true unless you either have a distorted concept of what red looks like, or there are no red things in the room you are currently in. The distorted color problem can be solved by fixing your idea of what red looks like. The lack of red objects in a room can solve itself by changing your physical location.
In a larger sense, if you set out to find out the truth about a bigger subject than colors, you will find it, provided you don’t have a distorted idea of what that truth looks like or from where you are, you simply can’t see the truth. The distorted truth problem can be solved by fixing your idea of what that truth (objective truth, not subjective truth) looks like. The inability to see that truth can be solved by changing your perspective.
That is the encouragement. The warning is that if you set out to find a particular color, you will find it, but that may be all you find. Better to enter a struggle for truth without our own ideas of what answer we’re looking for. This is the difference between Inductive reasoning and Deductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning is looking for the facts (colors) which support your pre-conceived conclusion (red). Inductive reasoning is looking for the conclusion, based off of the facts. I believe we need to use Inductive reasoning in our struggle for truth. If you look at a room and search for only red, you will find it. Unfortunately, you will miss all of the other colors in the room. Please don’t make this mistake in your quest for truth on a higher level. The consequences of using deductive reasoning in our search for colors are very minimal. However, as we raise the importance of the situation, we raise the possible benefit of the right answer and the possible risk of the wrong answer.
I take this long to introduce my technique for searching for truth, because this idea is dangerous. It can be abused, often is, but it doesn’t have to be.
Question everything:
If I question a situation, a fact, an idea or anything that can be questioned, I will come to one of two conclusions (assuming I weigh the situation correctly).
1) I would discover that what I am questioning was true the entire time
2) I will discover that what I’m questioning is false
If I were to question whether or not the chair I want to sit in is truly strong enough to hold me, I would come to one of two conclusions.
If I discover that what I thought was true, is true, then my level of faith in that truth after questioning will be far greater after, than before.
If I discover that what I thought was true, is actually false, then I have come to my senses and am now wiser than I was before (assuming I’m not too stubborn to accept truth for what it is, and I’m not trying to find facts to support my belief, rather than letting my belief be formed around the facts).
This idea has the potential of great good, but power always has the potential to be abused. This is why I take this long to present this idea. Please search for truth, with a spirit of truth. Search for truth with the understanding that what you think you know may be wrong. Search for truth with the understanding that what you assume may be the most dangerous thing you believe. C. S. Lewis said, and I agree, ““The most dangerous ideas in society are not the ones that are being argued, but the ones that are assumed.” It’s the ideas and beliefs that we simply assume are true, because we’ve always thought they were true. I have no qualms in questioning the foundations of my presuppositions--for if they're true, they can handle the questioning, but if they're false, why keep holding them?
I Think We're Missing Service:
I've been thinking.
Admittedly, this is sometimes a very dangerous thing to do, but I think my thinking is good this time.
I think
I remember as a child, we regularly went to nursing homes and widow's houses to make punch, or pass out cake, or play musical instruments or just sit and talk with people who needed to see an eight-year-old again.
I remember this being one of the worst times of the week. Nursing homes smelled really bad, and I would have rather been outside playing, than inside a nursing home, listening to Ms Milly talk about her son in California, or that lady (whose name I've long since forgotten) tell us that story about how handsome her husband was for the 50th time, or reintroducing myself to Mr so-and-so each week, because he had Alzheimer and forgot us.
Looking back, I would not trade those times for anything. I mean this with all sincerity. So much so, that I will say it again.
I would not trade those times, for anything.
Those times, those people, taught me something that no amount of books could have seared into my brain, no amount of talking could have branded on my heart and no amount of hardships could have put before my eyes.
Other's needs are greater than my own.
Here is what I saw and what I learned.
I saw Ms Queen.
Ms Queen was a quadriplegic because she was hit by a drunk driver and thrown through her own windshield into a ditch filled with ant beds. She lay there, being bitten by ants, until someone called 911 and got the ambulance there. She was completely paralyzed from that day on. I remember going up to her room at the nursing home, and as we all filed in, she would turn her eyes as far as they would go, so she could see our faces. She couldn't even turn her head. But she could smile; and smile she did. I never once heard her complain about anything. I listened to her tell the story of how she became paralyzed, and the even more amazing story of how she came to forgive the man who paralyzed her—even though he never once came to visit her, or apologize, or even admit that he had done anything wrong.
I remember the injustice. The anger I felt for her, because she felt no anger toward that man. Why? How could she forgive the man who stole her life, and left her living? How could she forgive the man who ruined everything she ever dreamed of, without even a moment’s remorse?
She understood. She was able to see the truth. God had forgiven her of far more than this.
We repeat it in church, and teach it to our kids and say it ‘till we’re blue in the face—but to see it lived out, to watch forgiveness happen when it makes no sense—this was Ms Queen.
No injustice in my life seems quite equal to this. Can I then withhold forgiveness?
We can tell our kids all day long about starving kids in China who have so little to eat, so that we can get them to finish their vegetables—but to see it?
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. If you ever see a life, that lives what the picture is trying to say, then this life is worth far more than a thousand pictures.
I want to take a self-centered child, and sit that child down in a nursing home, to listen to the stories that the people there tell. I want that child to get a handkerchief, and wipe the spit that crusts around the mouth of a ninety year old woman, who is so bed ridden, that she can't get up to go to the bathroom, so she smells like urine and sweat and dirt. I want that child to hug that woman, and understand that before the next visit, this woman may die. And if she dies, no one will care. Her children are across the country and might come for the funeral, and to take care of the legal paperwork--but that's all. I
want that child to understand, in the most vivid way possible, that even though another kid just got a bigger serving of ice cream than they did...that's okay. For a million and one reasons...that's okay.
I think we’re missing service.
To meet another’s needs is to understand how insignificant our self-centered cries sound. Our voice, which cries at the injustice of life, trails off into space as we kneel down by the chair, and re-introduce ourselves to Mr. So-And-So, for the third time today. Our inconveniences seem so trivial when we listen to another story about how handsome this woman’s husband was when he came back from the war.
Pride and humility cannot coexist in the same person at the same time. Therefore, whatever is humbling, I think is good. Whatever forces every last ounce of pride we have, out of our hearts, whatever it takes, I think is worth it.
Serve.
Meet someone’s needs. If that means bathing a bed-ridden quadriplegic, because if you don’t, no one will—then for God’s sake, do it. For God’s sake, do something.
Admittedly, this is sometimes a very dangerous thing to do, but I think my thinking is good this time.
I think
I remember as a child, we regularly went to nursing homes and widow's houses to make punch, or pass out cake, or play musical instruments or just sit and talk with people who needed to see an eight-year-old again.
I remember this being one of the worst times of the week. Nursing homes smelled really bad, and I would have rather been outside playing, than inside a nursing home, listening to Ms Milly talk about her son in California, or that lady (whose name I've long since forgotten) tell us that story about how handsome her husband was for the 50th time, or reintroducing myself to Mr so-and-so each week, because he had Alzheimer and forgot us.
Looking back, I would not trade those times for anything. I mean this with all sincerity. So much so, that I will say it again.
I would not trade those times, for anything.
Those times, those people, taught me something that no amount of books could have seared into my brain, no amount of talking could have branded on my heart and no amount of hardships could have put before my eyes.
Other's needs are greater than my own.
Here is what I saw and what I learned.
I saw Ms Queen.
Ms Queen was a quadriplegic because she was hit by a drunk driver and thrown through her own windshield into a ditch filled with ant beds. She lay there, being bitten by ants, until someone called 911 and got the ambulance there. She was completely paralyzed from that day on. I remember going up to her room at the nursing home, and as we all filed in, she would turn her eyes as far as they would go, so she could see our faces. She couldn't even turn her head. But she could smile; and smile she did. I never once heard her complain about anything. I listened to her tell the story of how she became paralyzed, and the even more amazing story of how she came to forgive the man who paralyzed her—even though he never once came to visit her, or apologize, or even admit that he had done anything wrong.
I remember the injustice. The anger I felt for her, because she felt no anger toward that man. Why? How could she forgive the man who stole her life, and left her living? How could she forgive the man who ruined everything she ever dreamed of, without even a moment’s remorse?
She understood. She was able to see the truth. God had forgiven her of far more than this.
We repeat it in church, and teach it to our kids and say it ‘till we’re blue in the face—but to see it lived out, to watch forgiveness happen when it makes no sense—this was Ms Queen.
No injustice in my life seems quite equal to this. Can I then withhold forgiveness?
We can tell our kids all day long about starving kids in China who have so little to eat, so that we can get them to finish their vegetables—but to see it?
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. If you ever see a life, that lives what the picture is trying to say, then this life is worth far more than a thousand pictures.
I want to take a self-centered child, and sit that child down in a nursing home, to listen to the stories that the people there tell. I want that child to get a handkerchief, and wipe the spit that crusts around the mouth of a ninety year old woman, who is so bed ridden, that she can't get up to go to the bathroom, so she smells like urine and sweat and dirt. I want that child to hug that woman, and understand that before the next visit, this woman may die. And if she dies, no one will care. Her children are across the country and might come for the funeral, and to take care of the legal paperwork--but that's all. I
want that child to understand, in the most vivid way possible, that even though another kid just got a bigger serving of ice cream than they did...that's okay. For a million and one reasons...that's okay.
I think we’re missing service.
To meet another’s needs is to understand how insignificant our self-centered cries sound. Our voice, which cries at the injustice of life, trails off into space as we kneel down by the chair, and re-introduce ourselves to Mr. So-And-So, for the third time today. Our inconveniences seem so trivial when we listen to another story about how handsome this woman’s husband was when he came back from the war.
Pride and humility cannot coexist in the same person at the same time. Therefore, whatever is humbling, I think is good. Whatever forces every last ounce of pride we have, out of our hearts, whatever it takes, I think is worth it.
Serve.
Meet someone’s needs. If that means bathing a bed-ridden quadriplegic, because if you don’t, no one will—then for God’s sake, do it. For God’s sake, do something.
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