Tilt-A-Whirl

I love amusement parks.  I love the roller coasters, and the water rides, and all the other various not-so-dangerous ways of getting that shot of adrenaline.  The ones I especially like are the spinning rides.  You know what I’m talking about.  Like the one where you go in what amounts to a giant washing machine and they put you on spin cycle to the point where you have no idea if you’re standing upright or if somehow the whole structure managed to go horizontal on you; then as if you have not quite had enough, the floor suddenly drops out from underneath you and you’re relying on inertia to keep you pinned to the wall.  I also love the Tilt-a-Whirl rides.  You always know what to expect out of the ride, yet every time you go on it, each turn, each rise, each revolution somehow brings surprise.  Going around and around thinking, “OK here comes a peak… Whoa! I didn’t expect that spin!  Oh Jeez I forgot that valley was coming up!  Oh no, more spinning!”

I always have a blast on those things.  I really do.  I could ride them over and over.  But what about when life is like that?  When you think you know what you can expect, you’re cruising along and then… BAM!  You forgot you were up on a peak and now you’re rapidly dropping into a valley, spinning out of control this way and that all the while.  Sure, it’s an exciting ride, but when you can’t control it, the dull train ride around the park suddenly doesn’t seem so bad.  It’s hard to know which way is up when you go through those periods in life.  We all have them.  Addictions, job satisfaction or stability, family issues, health issues, depression, relationship problems, any and all of these have potential to send life into a tailspin.  While it’s no fun to go through those trials ourselves, I’m finding it really sucks having to watch your friends experience hardship.  There is a part of me that – as grateful as I am for the blessings of my life – would rather run through the gauntlet than watching those I love struggle.

Don’t get me wrong, I know that we all face the consequences, good and bad, of our actions and decisions, be it by things we experience in life, by the mental torture we inflict upon ourselves, the joy we get from doing right, or some combination of all three.  I also know that every struggle is presented to us for the purpose of making us stronger in faith and as individuals.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” – James 1:2-4 (NIV)

As much as I agree with and take heart from these verses, that doesn’t mean that I necessarily want to see anyone struggle.  Though I admit that I do rejoice when I see people turn to and lean on the Lord to guide them through these turbulent times.  When I see others rely on the Lord as their rock, and I see Him respond, it strengthens my faith when I am sometimes too close to my own situations to fully see and appreciate how God acts in my life.  But this post is not about me.  Today i focused my thoughts and prayers on a dear friend who is also a brother in Christ.  He has gone, and is going, through an off-and-on situation that has caused him such acute mental anguish to the point that he has begun feeling a sense despair and hopelessness.  Obviously my friend is not blameless, nor does make such claims, but I can say that for some time I have seen my brother in Christ continually try to do the right thing about this situation.  I suspect that his hand will soon be forced into a specific course of action.  While the result could potentially be an extremely good thing, the means to that end will most likely be a painful and frustrating journey, to say the least.  I only pray that my brother has the resolve to stand strong in the face of adversity, that he can keep his bearings about himself through this Tilt-A-Whirl ride, and know there is always hope, and that he will be rewarded for his faith and perseverance in doing the right thing.

“…And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” – Romans 5:2-5 (NIV)

Hypocrisy 101

“God hates fags!” rants an infamous Topeka-based church.  But 1 John 4:8 tells us “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” A small church in Kentucky banned interracial couples from becoming members, even though Romans 15:7 instructs us to “welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” In John 14:6, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” Yet at one time, the Church widely claimed that – for a price, of course – it could guarantee you eternal life and happiness. I’m not even going to get into atrocities such as the Crusades, the Inquisition, other wars, killing, persecution, and oppression done “in the name of God”. The list could go on endlessly. The ugly truth is that throughout history, man intentionally and accidentally has twisted the words, context, and meaning of Scripture for his own personal gain, be it monetary, fame, power, or influence.

Even as Christ followers, maybe especially as Christ followers, we sometimes allow ourselves to fall prey to hypocrisy. Even though we proclaim our faith and desire for others to see Christ in us, we all fall short of the glory of God at some point. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines hypocrisy as “a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not, especially the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion” and “an act or instance of hypocrisy.” Certainly, plenty of people – Christian or otherwise – fall into the first category and continually present themselves in one way publicly, while privately living an entirely different way, or they hide their true motives for leading a virtuous life. But I tend to think that the majority of people find themselves guilty of the second definition – individual acts, often unintentional or even unrecognized instances of hypocrisy, because when we let our guards down, our humanity overcomes our holiness.

One of my favorite passages in Scripture reads, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.“ – 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV).  I’m not suggesting that believers need to run around throwing this – or any other verse – in the faces of those who lead immoral, sinful lives, or otherwise turn away from God.  Quite the contrary, primarily because even as believers we are often guilty of sin.  The last part of that passage stuck out to me recently.  Look at the last few words again: “…so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  This is basically saying that the Bible is an ancient version of The Idiot’s Guide to a Righteous Life for Christ followers.   That’s not to say that those who don’t believe can’t or don’t lead moral lives, nor am I implying that all would disagree with the lessons contained in Scripture.  What I am saying is that it’s not other people, especially non believers, for whom Paul says Scripture is useful for rebuking.  It’s us, those who claim to follow Jesus Christ!  We are the ones who need to take these words and lessons and focus them directly at ourselves because if we claim to live according to a higher standard then we had best start acting like it.  Even Jesus railed against the religious leaders of his day calling them a “brood of vipers”.  He exclaimed to the crowds and his disciples that the keepers of the law “do not practice what they preach” – Matthew 23:2 (NIV).  Jesus stared down the Pharisees and boldly told them that they “have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness.” – Matthew 23:23 (NIV)  These are men who had dedicated their entire lives to learning and living out the law to the very last letter, but completely missed the point.  Following the rules became more important than why the rules existed in the first place.  Our goal should be to live in such a way that Christ will not chastise for the same, let alone any, reason.

The most dangerous attitude that we could take towards hypocrisy within the Church and ourselves would be to ignore it, to try to sweep it under the rug, to make the excuses, or to outright deny it. As followers of Christ, it is our responsibility to own up to our shortcomings, to the heinous acts committed under the guise of serving God, and show people that hypocrisy is man’s failure, not God’s. Show them that, while man may say one thing and do another, God has always been, always is, and always will be true to His Word. One thing I need to take care not to do is to turn around and pass judgment on those who criticize people of faith for being hypocritical or ignorant sheep. I need to remember just to continue loving them and to help show them that while God is infallible, man is not. For when we make a conscious effort to help someone else come to know Jesus, or to at least see his love within us, we will inevitably grow closer to him ourselves.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” – Matthew 7:3-5 (NIV)