Radical Here & Now

Resting partway between the River Dave, and the Lake of Brendar is the small hamlet of Gar.  Oh look!  The village idiot is about to say something...
 
So what exactly does obedience to God's call look like?  Do we sometimes say yes to the radical for self-serving motivations?  Perhaps we struggle with the desire to nurture our complacent status quo, unwilling to take a risk?  “Yup” twice.
 
I am thinking that we need to start with obedience to where God has put us, and openness to where he is going.  We need to be willing.  Willing to give everything.  Willing to take action.  Attentive to our situation right now.
 
Jeremy (6) has an older sister Katie (8) who was not progressing well in her fight against Polycystic Kidney Disease.  One of her kidneys had failed, the other was close to failure, and she was increasingly dependent on dialysis.  Katie's physicians had come to the conclusion that her best chance for survival was to receive a new kidney from a compatible donor.
 
After months of waiting, a suitable donor could not be found, and Katie's condition became grave.  It had been discovered shortly into this process that Jeremy was a perfect candidate for donation.  The operation presented some risks to both children, but the chances of survival were very optimistic.
 
Jeremy's parents asked him at home if he would be willing to donate a kidney to his little sister, so that she could move off the machine, and have a better chance to get well.  Jeremy thought carefully about the proposition, and after only a few moments decided yes -- definitely, he wanted to donate to his sister that he loved so much.  His parents were pleased, and somewhat surprised that he was so willing.  The arrangements were made.
 
The morning of the transplant, Katie and Jeremy were talked through the procedure as much as reasonable for children of their age, and after kisses and some tears, Katie was sedated first.  Jeremy's parents then thanked him again and kissed him as he lay waiting for his anesthesia.  He then turned to his mother and asked with simple acceptance, "Mommy, is this when I die?"
 
His parents were completely stunned at the misunderstanding, but so much more at Jeremy's willingness to give his life for his sister -- and so unselfishly!  They emphatically reassured him that he was not going to die, and that this was just a way for Jeremy to help his sister.  He quietly replied, "ok," and was put to sleep.
 
His parents and the attending hospital staff never forgot that amazing demonstration of unconditional, self-sacrificial love. 
 
Maybe you know that story.  I'm sure I butchered it.  No clue if it is true or not.  But it speaks to me -- and maybe it speaks to this issue.

Think it Your Way

We can't help but see the world through the lens of our own experience, understanding, and existing beliefs.  Faith is no different -- unless God decides to intervene and reveal himself.  Fortunately he does this, but his interventions are also in this same category.  We can understand truth only in the context of what we already believe to be true.  What are those assumptions?  How do we discern when "revelations" are from God, and not our own ideas ... or perhaps from a darker source?

"In essentials, unity ..."  -- Amen!  But who decides what issues are essential?  As modern (or post-modern) Americans, we all take up that responsibility individually.  At least we like to think that.  This seems a bit contradictory.  If we ultimately see ourselves as responsible for discerning the voice of the Spirit in matters of truth, there really is no purely external rule we apply to our beliefs, since every apparent external rule (scripture, history, etc.) is subject to our own understanding and interpretation -- or more precisely: the understanding of those who taught us.  Are we (they) correct?  How do we know?

I have a friend who is going through a painful separation from his wife.  It appears to me that this is his decision, and he is experiencing the consequenses.  His primary reason for doing this is that he feels compelled to understand and re-think why he believes what he does.  Much of his beliefs have previously seemed to him to be built on foundational assumptions that he does not see the basis for.

His story is dramatic, and if I am honest with him, his response to his own questioning is quite selfish, but in an important way, his questions are quite valid.

To blog or not ...

I have very few meaningful thoughts to share, so I am apparently a superior candidate for blogdom.

I have read several other blogs, and found that we are all putting good effort into making our thoughts known. We are all like this, I think. We need to be known. I experience tremendous stress when I feel misunderstood. I suppose that's common. I feel very comforted when I sense I have been understood. This is not a middle-school phenomenon -- we just get better at hiding it or lying to ourselves about it as we age -- though some geriatrics don't give a rip what people think anymore. Looking forward to that stage of life!