-or- How long, Lord, How Long?
"For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope." Jeremiah 29:11
This passage from Jeremiah is beloved by many. And rightly so, for it is a word of hope and assurance from God. We are comforted in the knowledge that we have some One looking out for us, that some One has a larger plan for our lives.
If, however, by this passage--or by any other passage in the Bible--anyone comes to think that the life of the Faithful One is supposed to be without pain and suffering, that one is mistaken. How easy for one to think by Jeremiah's prophesy that 'If I am right with God, then God will keep me from all harm.' or 'Harm will only come to me if I stray from God's plan for my life.' When, in fact, we only deceive ourselves by these statements.
While we are suffering, we try to issue blame. Although many Christians claim to believe that Satan is the source of all evil, these same Christians end up blaming either themselves, another human being, or God for their pain and suffering. Blame must be handed out to an individual, or to a personified entity, in order for that blame to be cathartic. I believe that the reason we don't blame Evil for evil is because Evil has become an amorphous concept. We have rejected the personification of evil in the Devil, and most of us (whether because of the Church's weakened message, or because of cultural forces) think of evil as some kind of vague and general force...or still weaker, as some human affectation. The result is that when suffering comes to our lives, instead of turning toward God, others or self for strength, we turn away. In a spirit of blame, we turn against the good instead of turning against evil. And in this way, we play right into Evil's hand. For Evil only wishes to isolate us so that we are easier to tempt and torture.
What blessed joy is mine that, in Christ Jesus, I am not to blame.
As soon as we begin to suffer in any way, often times our first response is, "What did I do wrong?" We think or say to ourselves, "I must have offended God somehow. Why is God punishing me?" We assume that we ourselves are the source of the evil that has befallen us. I did something to deserve such suffering, therefore, I am being punished for my deeds. This base, initial reaction is so far from the concept of grace that one totally forgets the Cross. Such a reaction is paramount to saying, "Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross is not powerful enough to help me in the least." So strongly do we bind ourselves to our own sin! Even as Jesus is trying to tear that sin away from our grasp.
The truth is that our Father in heaven, "...makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45). In the Kingdom of God, we might reap only what we sow. However, in the Kingdom of the World--that is, here on earth--we cannot judge a person's character or actions based on the result, whether or not they end up blessed or cursed, prosperous or impoverished. Thus, we have no cause or basis for judging ourselves on account of what befalls us in life. For life in this world just doesn't make sense in that regard. The sun just shines, the rain just falls--neither the shining nor the falling is meant for me alone. No one can call down rain, and no one can tell the sun to shine--no matter what one does, good or bad. Ah, but what blessed joy is ours that no matter what happens, whether we are rained on or have light, we are justified by grace alone, and not because of our works. If you could judge my worth based on what sufferings I have had in life--I would be worthless. For the rain falls on my when I am righteous and the sun shines on me when I am sinful. There is no correlation...so let us not turn against ourselves. Our suffering is not a punishment, it simply is.
What blessed joy that you are not to blame, either.
If we cannot blame ourselves for this reason, then neither can we blame another. Because what is true of us is also true of our neighbor: if suffering is not our fault, it cannot be "their" fault, either. Why? Because we are all in the same boat. Sunshine and rain are conditions that come with being human. That is, suffering is a part of our human condition. We all suffer in our own ways. For this reason, we need salvation--we need God. The psalmist writes: "The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away." (Psalm 90:10). We are all subject to the changes and chances of life. We are all vulnerable in this life to suffering, and ultimately to death. After the Fall from Eden it became a part of our human nature. How can I blame my neighbor for the nature of life, for the way life in this world simply is? How can I blame my neighbor for my suffering, when they,too, suffer?
What blessed joy that our God is always and absolutely blameless!
When we can no longer blame ourselves or others, because human existence in the world is simply what it is--and it is not always sunshine and roses--then we often turn our blame toward God. After all, God allows life to be the way it is. God allows suffering to befall me. Oh! But for some it is even worse! Some take the extra step to say that God has caused this suffering to befall me. God made my spouse leave. God sent that hurricane or tornado which took my house and town. God called us to acts of war. God needed an angel, and so he took my child. Is that our view of God, that he is a cruel torturer, immune to the sorrows of his children? How wicked that we assign what we consider evil to the action of our God, who, in fact, is the source of all goodness and mercy. But in our quest to blame, no one is safe, no one is immune, not even God. Yet God is perfect and holy and without a spot of guilt.
So whence comes hardship and sorrow?
And why must we go through these things--even we, who strive to be good?
My reflections on these questions must come in another blog, as I have reached the end of the page here. In the meanwhile, how would you answer these questions?
Stay tuned...
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