I call this part one because this issue is not resolved in my mind. I'm still trying to work through this. So be patient.
This sunday at church. I hate saying that "I went to church" as if it was a building. Its not. Its people. This Sunday when I was with the body? Much better. Dave was teaching about the idea of fairness. He told us the story from Mathew 13 about the man who hires workers and pays them all the same even though they worked different lengths of time. Dave told us that in the Kingdom of God that things don't always look like they're fair. I know Dave was speaking from his heart when he said this. He had just suffered a great tradgedy and could distinctly feel the bitter pangs from lifes unfairness.
I have a hard time with unfairness. I don't like it. Its unfair that childeren all over the world starve when I eat my full. Its unfair that good people die. I don't like it. But there's such a thing as grace. I find it interesting what Matt Thiessen says about it "The beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair." Grace is really unfair.
I always kind understood God as being fair and yet grace kind of throws a monkey wrench in that. I have a hard time accepting that poverty and genocide have a place in the kingdom of Heaven. I don't think they are, but maybe for some some reason i've always equated unfairness with bad things.
Maybe fairness is not the point.
I feel that the reason that I should try to help people who are oppressed or impovrished is because their conditions are unfair. I'm scared that if fairness does not exist as we understand it then people starving is ok. Then genocide is somehow acceptable.
Maybe fairness is not the issue. Maybe I should help people not because I'm trying to make things fair, but because I love them. And I want to pour my self out for them. Maybe. I think thats why Jesus helped people. He loved them and was not concerned with "fairness." I don't know.
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2 comments:
Josh, you have struck a chord. Fairness is not the issue. Jesus never said that we ought to try and make things fair. Jesus did not heal the blind man to make things more equitable. He healed him because He loved him. Jesus did not die that we might experience fairness. He died because He loves us. As always, your thoughts and expressions inspire me. Thank you for being such a good friend and a great thinker. Let us reach out to the inequity in the world not for the sake of fairness, but because we love people.
This is the first day I've been on your site, and I am impressed with your honesty and the way you work through your thoughts. It's great to work out your thoughts here, isn't it? Keep searching, because if you seek HIM (God), you WILL find Him.
As for this post.....yes, I agree that this world is unfair, but it IS all about love. God's love is immense and He wants to give it to us and then wants us to give it away. The cool thing about giving love away......is that you get more when you give more. I think if we ALL truely loved as we are supposed to.....there wouldn't be the poverty we see today.
Blessings to you on your journey!!
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