I don't understand life.
Why do things happen the way they do? Why does my life always seem to be this great roller coaster qucikly accelerating into a series of twists and turns that leave me feeling breathless and at the mercy of physics?
Where does meaning come from?
As we lurch along in an age that seems to be progressively growing more unsafe, more chaotic, and more unstable by the moment, I wonder if any of us has the ability to stop and look at ourselves--and more importantly, at where we are going.
I talked to my mom last week about the just-finished war in Lebanon (which seems likely to start up again after what happened with the Israeil commando raid yesterday), and she mentioned the battle of Armageddon. I don't know if I'd quite go that far (then again, my reading of John's revelation on the isle of Patmos leads me to completely ditch the dispensational nonsense preached in many American churches today), but I would say that winds of change are in the air, and their sound is ominous.
I am afraid that we are, each one of us, about to be caught up in something greater than ourselves--and while I don't know what that something is, it is enough that the dread of it is strong inside me, the kind of dread that keeps a man awake at night. I don't know what's coming, but whatever it is . . . it will test humanity's character and mettle like no event in our history ever has.
I grew up with apocalyptic movies (and apocalyptic fiction). I wish I could say all of it was good (the recent movie Pulse--which I had the misfortune of seeing in theaters yesterday--is a classic example of the genre's most rank badness) (come on, a monkey wrench wieldin' guy who somehow during the end of the world manages to have all the answers and get rhrough every scrape without so much as mussing his hair?? ladies, please tell me this is not your view of men), but it does have 2 prophetic themes which, sadly, hit the mark when it comes to our species.
1. We are our own worst enemies.
2. Once our self-destructiveness is unleashed, it will consume everything in its path.
Our history shows us to be wonderful survivors, but not very good at building legacies worth remembering. The greatest military project ever attempted--the Roman Empire--became one of the world's worst catastrophes, as did our advances in medicine (witness gas and germ warfare through the past hundred years), our various religions, and our attempts to subdue nature, even down to the smallest atom.
And once our mistakes are unleashed, they have the capacity to consume our entire world.
I believe that God would have us be responsible caretakers of the world--and the lives--he has given us, and that he would have us understand the gravity of that responsibility. Our mistakes have the ability to hurt others more deeply than we can imagine--and maybe it's time for those of us who claim the name "Christian" to stop prattling on about our love for God . . . and start loving each other.
Why do things happen the way they do? Why does my life always seem to be this great roller coaster qucikly accelerating into a series of twists and turns that leave me feeling breathless and at the mercy of physics?
Where does meaning come from?
As we lurch along in an age that seems to be progressively growing more unsafe, more chaotic, and more unstable by the moment, I wonder if any of us has the ability to stop and look at ourselves--and more importantly, at where we are going.
I talked to my mom last week about the just-finished war in Lebanon (which seems likely to start up again after what happened with the Israeil commando raid yesterday), and she mentioned the battle of Armageddon. I don't know if I'd quite go that far (then again, my reading of John's revelation on the isle of Patmos leads me to completely ditch the dispensational nonsense preached in many American churches today), but I would say that winds of change are in the air, and their sound is ominous.
I am afraid that we are, each one of us, about to be caught up in something greater than ourselves--and while I don't know what that something is, it is enough that the dread of it is strong inside me, the kind of dread that keeps a man awake at night. I don't know what's coming, but whatever it is . . . it will test humanity's character and mettle like no event in our history ever has.
I grew up with apocalyptic movies (and apocalyptic fiction). I wish I could say all of it was good (the recent movie Pulse--which I had the misfortune of seeing in theaters yesterday--is a classic example of the genre's most rank badness) (come on, a monkey wrench wieldin' guy who somehow during the end of the world manages to have all the answers and get rhrough every scrape without so much as mussing his hair?? ladies, please tell me this is not your view of men), but it does have 2 prophetic themes which, sadly, hit the mark when it comes to our species.
1. We are our own worst enemies.
2. Once our self-destructiveness is unleashed, it will consume everything in its path.
Our history shows us to be wonderful survivors, but not very good at building legacies worth remembering. The greatest military project ever attempted--the Roman Empire--became one of the world's worst catastrophes, as did our advances in medicine (witness gas and germ warfare through the past hundred years), our various religions, and our attempts to subdue nature, even down to the smallest atom.
And once our mistakes are unleashed, they have the capacity to consume our entire world.
I believe that God would have us be responsible caretakers of the world--and the lives--he has given us, and that he would have us understand the gravity of that responsibility. Our mistakes have the ability to hurt others more deeply than we can imagine--and maybe it's time for those of us who claim the name "Christian" to stop prattling on about our love for God . . . and start loving each other.
posted by Brian Bly at 7:07 AM
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