The Gathering Storms?

It seems three major disasters are in the early stages of formation.

Extreme heat is again plaguing the midwestern states, while severe weather warnings are currently causing damage and deaths across north America. Climate warming appears to be well established, as the ice caps continue to melt, sea levels threaten coasts, and rivers overflow.

Whether human action or natural phenomena is the cause has yet to be proven, although it seems a growing voracious world population is probably a factor. What seems evident, is that the extreme weather conditions are here to stay, and will probably increase.

The second major problem is the debt crisis in Europe, which may easily become worldwide. Living off future earnings is always hazardous. The earnings may not materialize, or be exaggerated, and cause overspending and escalating debt beyond the ability to pay.

This is the living style of much of the west, not only individuals, but also governments. National populations are used to government services and handouts, and have shown unwillingness to forgo these in order to ease the crisis. Their actions will probably increase the problem.

Perhaps the greatest crisis facing the west, and likely to extend to developing countries, is the paganization of cultures. From a predominately Christian culture of several decades ago that produced the work ethic and sense of service, today’s culture is far more self-serving and assertive.

Canada’s multiculturalism is a major example of the fracturing of society by acceding to the demands of individual cultures and personal rights. It replaces an inclusive society that serves one another and ensures their legitimate aspirations and needs are met. The government should pay and provide that!

Spending all we have on ourselves is the basis of moral decay, for it opens the door to personal freedom to live as we please. And moral decay has been the cause of weakening of nations within and the downfall of empires throughout history.

It may be that climate change is nature’s backlash against the abuse of the earth’s resources. Debt is certainly a result of poor human management, individual and national. No one else is responsible for the collective poverty we may bring upon ourselves.

But the greatest threat to our well-being, even sanity, is the slide into moral relativism that plagues the western world. The demand for petty personal freedoms is a path to addictive bondage, that in turn, will hamper our ability to guard against the forces of evil—natural or spiritual—that desire to enslave us.

God has set the prime example of self-giving—as opposed to self-serving—by sacrificing His Son to release us from the bondage and guilt of sin. Why would we want to sell ourselves back into that slavery again?

And maybe, just maybe, if we turn and follow Christ’s example of life as service, even sacrifice, for others, the threats we face can be averted.

Stuff?

In one of his books, C. S. Lewis tells a parable of renovating the house of our lives. When we come to Christ, we expect Him to make some changes in our lives; the plumbing needs repair, the kitchen could do with a make-over, and that leaky roof needs to be fixed.

But we suddenly find He is tearing down walls, adding turrets and windows and a general renovation far beyond what we expected. Apparently, He is not willing to live in the dingy cottage we built for ourselves, and is building a mansion fit for His kingly abode.

Every house in our neighbourhood has a double garage. But for many, the vehicles never see the inside because of the “stuff” residing within. I’ll bet some of those owners also have paid storage elsewhere to house more “stuff” they never use!

But as we grow older, we decided to go in the opposite direction and have downsized to a living space of about 550 square feet in the lower level of our current house. We knew we would have to dispose of much “stuff” accumulated over the years after living in spaces three or four times the size.

So a string of garage sales and “Kijiji” offerings took care of most of what we felt we didn’t need. Now, after the move on Saturday, we still have more “stuff” than we can accommodate Most will go to another home that can use it, some will even grace the inside of our trash bin.

I couldn’t help thinking of a reverse parallel with Lewis’s story. We carry so much baggage around the world with us, much of which we never use, and more than we really need, which takes up valuable time, cost, and maintenance, reducing the effectiveness of our lives.

In the same way, we tend to carry much emotional baggage with us, resentment, anger, jealousy—you can add your own list—that serves no useful purpose and mars our ability to live in the gracious and graceful way God intended.

Decluttering our lives is more important than decluttering our homes. Life is so much simpler—not necessarily easier—but certainly happier, when we model our lives after God’s character: compassionate, gracious, patient, loving, faithful, forgiving and just (Exodus 34:6–7).

Rationalization

  

It always amazes me that every evil deed has a good reason for it. Whether it’s a wayward husband who blames his wife for his violent behaviour, or a national tyrant, like Syria’s Assad, who massacres his own people ostensibly to maintain order. A good end apparently justifies any horrific means.

In reality everyone knows the husband is covering up his desire to maintain a perverse lifestyle, or Assad is rationalizing his determination to cling to power. It’s only the deranged and psychopath who take delight in violence and misery for its own sake.

The fact that the majority of evildoers must justify their actions, points to recognition of the depravity of their actions in the first place. This in turn suggests a universal moral code with which even the most wicked can identify.

The Bible indicates that God is aware of the difference between convenient excuses to justify sin and genuine remorse for it. Saul was full of reasons and excuses for his disobedience and prevarication, and it lost him the kingdom; worse still, he forfeited God’s forgiveness.

David sin’s of adultery and murder were greater than Saul’s wiliness, yet he received forgiveness. His repentance was real: “my sin is always before me,” David was haunted by conviction of his sin, making him aware of the sinfulness of his heart: “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51).

Repentance is a condition for forgiveness. Lip service to repentance won’t cut it, yet we practice it often: “Yes it was wrong, but . . .” as we rationalize our wrong behaviour. We feel justified, and the episode is soon and too easily forgotten.

On the other hand, genuine remorse maintains its grip on the sinner; for the Christian who sins against God, it is an agony—until His forgiveness sets him free. As David discovered: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

Debt

Two men were bemoaning their financial situation. Said one: “Every time I catch up to the Jones’ they refinance.” “I don’t care about the Jones,” said the other, “I just wish we could afford to live the way we are living now!”

Somehow, we are caught in a belief that we can juggle our way out of debt. On a credit card bill for $182.90 I received this week, a cryptic note in red told me that making a minimum payment of $7.00 each month, at 20% annually, would take four years and four months to pay off the debt.

The danger of revolving credit on plastic is that debt increases silently until only the minimum can be paid each month. Eventually even the interest itself is more than we can afford, so the debt continues to increase, even without more spending.

This is crippling not only large numbers of people, but also an increasing number of countries particularly in Europe. Greece is beyond the ability to ever pay its debts. Spain and Ireland are not far behind, and riots at austerity measures make any recovery more distant and unlikely.

But even worse, the refusal to take whatever measures are necessary to pay the debts, displays an entitlement mentality that cannot comprehend prosperity is earned, not a reward for living. Those who have grown up in prosperous times come to assume it is their right to enjoy it.

In the middle of the last century, as the world rebuilt and restructured following two world wars, western prosperity was built on human hard work to recover from devastation and the accompanying poverty. That in turn provided easier and better living conditions.

Today’s prosperity is built, not on human industry, but on borrowing from the future—have now, pay later. Now is the later when payment must be made; increasingly by individuals, but also by nations. Any failure of the world monetary system will likely be a gradual spreading collapse, not a sudden catastrophe like the Great Depression.

The Bible enjoins us to be debt free, the borrower is always obligated to the lender. Those who are debt free are better able to withstand financial insecurity around them. We never finally paid our mortgage debt until our late sixties. It should have been a primary financial aim in life.

The Gift of Silence

Why are we afraid of silence? I can hear the answer already: “I’m not afraid of silence, I can be quiet if I wish to!” It’s a bit like the person who suggests they smoke because they wish to; they can give it up at any time.

Silence is like darkness. Few city dwellers know real blackness, there are always lights somewhere; streetlights blast the darkness all night, even in our bedrooms. The total absence of light is frightening and we tend to avoid it.

Yet if darkness is to be feared, why do people shy away from the light? Is it simply because our deeds are evil as Jesus stated? If we’re honest, it’s embarrassing to have the light shine too deep into our lives, revealing what we hide from the world. However inconvenient and distressing darkness may be, it is still a useful hiding place.

But darkness is compared to ignorance, misunderstanding, or loss; an inability to find our way in the dim times of life. Light brings clarity, revealing a way out of the difficulty. That’s why Jesus claimed to be the Light of the World: He proclaimed the way from fear of death to meaning and purpose for life, beyond the murky rote of simply producing replacement generations.

Similarly, how often are people actually quiet, and experience silence? We can plug siren sounds into our ears to block out discomforting thoughts. Perhaps a confusing cacophony of sound is a consoling distraction from having to think about our accountability to God and His world.

As the holiday season begins, it’s a chance to “get away from it all.” Maybe a chance to get away from the sounds that surround us and find some “peace and quiet”? It’s in the quiet times the light can penetrate our lives to bring clarity, not fear; honesty, not subterfuge; and peace in place of ignorance and confusion.

Here we have a chance to listen to God’s still, small voice, usually drowned in the din of life, and check our alignment with His truth and values, His answers to our deepest fears. Here we can find our ultimate need fulfilled: peace with God, the grace of forgiveness through the death of Jesus Christ.

Listen in the silence; it’s not to be feared, and the light that can penetrate our souls is the greatest gift this world and heaven can ever provide. 

Canada Day

When I was a child, a popular hymn in Church of England circles was William Blake’s poem:

    And did those feet in ancient time.

    Walk upon England’s mountains green:

    And was the holy Lamb of God,

    On England’s pleasant pastures seen!

    And did the Countenance Divine,

    Shine forth upon our clouded hills?

    And was Jerusalem builded here,

    Among these dark Satanic Mills?

    (Satanic mills, a reference to the industrial revolution)

Of course, the answer was: “No, He didn’t.” But the majestic music that accompanied it, composed by Hubert Parry in 1916, was soul-stirring, making you believe England was specially blessed by God and consequently, no other country could ever match Great Britain.

To further deepen the patriotic spirit, the Promenade Concerts of classical music, held at the Royal Albert Hall every year, would end with this song set to Edward Elgar’s soaring music, everyone in attendance singing it with gusto.

    When Britain fi-i-irst, at heaven's command,

    Aro-o-o-o-ose from out the a-a-a-zure main,

    Arose, arose from out the azure main,

    This was the charter, the charter of the land,

    And guardian a-a-angels sang this strain:

    Rule Britannia!

    Britannia rule the waves

    Britons never, never, never shall be slaves.

Of course, England, being an island, is usually green, blessed by frequent rain from the surrounding oceans, but its ability to rule the waves, and the prominence it assumed for itself, has been severely dashed by history.

Last night saw another heavy rain, much of the wet stuff lathering Lethbridge during June. As I look out of my study window, this small Canadian city is certainly a green and pleasant land; which reminds me that God’s grace is not confined to the British Isles, or even Canada.

This Canada Day weekend, is a time to celebrate with gratitude God’s goodness to this country of ours. Even if few acknowledge Him or His handiwork evident around us:

We will praise the Lord.