I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be born a twin. To go through life, not just having a sibling so close in age, but one that looks nearly identical to me. Would I be annoyed by the confusion that such similarity creates, or would I harness this power for humor purposes?For years we had two identical brothers attending our church, and for the majority of that time I had difficulty telling them apart. There were many Sundays that I would use some generic greeting when encountering either brother for fear of mistaking one for the other.
But like a good photo hunt game, it was valuable to see the two brothers together to compare. When I saw them in the same place, I realized what made each unique, and thus could then tell them apart.
Sometimes we need things in close proximity to identify one from another. Like a mixed-up order received in the drive-thru, we must taste the diet and the regular in immediate succession to discover which is which.
So I was reading in Matthew the other day, where Jesus is giving the Sermon on the Mount. In Chapter 5, verse 43, He tells us, "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you" Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven."
This is a familiar verse, one that we all learn in second grade Sunday School.
"He causes His son to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."
We witness this seemingly unfair treatment, and thus we question it, "Why?" Why would a loving God let bad things happen to good people?
"If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?"
And for the first time, I saw something deeper: God expects us to be different.
How would the world know what makes a Christian different unless they were to see us in the same circumstances as they found themselves in.
Ravi Zacharias often quotes an old Indian proverb, "What you're filled with spills when you are bumped." Our cups often look the same at just a glance, but when we are placed in unfavorable circumstances, we give others the opportunity to find our whether we are diet or regular.
"'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me' (Phil 4:13), like go hungry, get cancer, be killed and go home." -John Piper
The world expects one to stay married to a faithful spouse, and divorce an adulterous partner. That's what the "pagans" would do. But God wants something different out of us. He wants us to reflect His character, His love, His forgiveness, His Covenant-Keeping Grace. How can we divorce our spouse when we realize that there is nothing that they can do against us that we have not committed against God… and been forgiven of?
How can a Christian get cancer, lose a loved one, become paralyzed, or lose all their possessions in a fire? Perhaps so that the world can see a different response to a "hopeless situation."
And what is that proper response: I think it boils down to gratitude. We must understand that in truth we are all guilty, and none of us are innocent (Romans 3). John Piper suggests the question is not "How come so many are sick?" but "How come so many are well?" I think when we realize we deserve only Hell, and start counting our blessings and thanking God for the little things, we don't have time to complain and ask God, "Why me?"
I think that's the only way a mourning couple can praise God after losing a little baby; by thanking God for the short time that they were able to spend with their child… that really wasn't theirs to begin with.
Look at how David responds to God taking away his child: "He answered, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, 'Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.' But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me." -2 Samuel 12:22-23
Similar thoughts are echoed in Michael W. Smith's "Hello, Good-bye" written for a couple who lost their little child after only 2 1/2 days.
And so I hold your tiny hand in mine
For the hardest thing I've ever had to face
Heaven calls for you before it calls for me
When you get there, save me a place
A place where I can share your smile
And I can hold you for more than just a while
I must conclude that the world is watching and needs to see our "different" response. In the worst of times it is our opportunity to demonstrate the Glory of God, and to show the world what we are filled with.
2 comments:
Inspiring
Are you saying that if a spouse, who claims in public to be a Christian, beats, rapes, murders, molests children, consorts with prostitutes, holds prisoner, and/or even forces their wife into acts of bestiality, that wife should stay with her husband, as an example of God's grace?
I thank God that he is more merciful than human beings, and trust that he does not intend for his daughters, or their children, to live in fear and degradation all their lives in order to fulfill legalistic requirements.
Where on the net are the posts by Christians against spousal abuse, and how husbands are to love their wives "as Christ loved the church?"
I pray that someday in our churches as much emphasis will be placed on stopping abuse in Christian families as there is now on forbidding separation and divorce.
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