January 17th

Faith Engages the World

                By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness that is in accordance with faith.

Hebrews 11:7

            “By this he condemned the world.”  This is the most confusing and troubling piece of this passage.  The Flood was not Noah’s idea.  He did not cause the flood to come.  He did not choose who would live and who would die.  Noah was simply faithful.  He listened to God when others would not.  He believed that God was telling the truth and acted accordingly.  Others would not.  There was nothing special about Noah, no superhuman abilities or supernatural heritage that set him apart from the rest of humanity.  He simply chose to listen and obey and because of that, he stood out from the rest of the world.  Noah showed what was possible with faith and his family was saved.  In contrast to his faithfulness, the depravity of the rest of the world was highlighted and their condemnation led to their destruction.  Noah did not judge the word.  His actions stood as the measuring stick and everyone else fell short.

            Our children…our sons and daughters with special needs or handicaps or disabilities or whatever new label the world gives to them…they have the ability to be the world’s measuring stick.  If they are able to face the challenges of life with hope and joy and faith even though society pushes them to the margins and their own senses assault them every morning…if they can be faithful, what excuse do the rest of us have not to be?  Here are the justifications that I usually mutter when faced with a challenge of faith that I do not want to pursue:

·         I’m so tired

·         I am so overwhelmed that I could not possibly take on any more

·         I’m just one voice.  I will have no impact at all

They are true…to a point.  There are always valid reasons to tell God that now is not the best time for whatever He is calling you into.  But then I look at my son as he collapses into bed each night.  He has made it through another day of pushing himself to the limit, of navigating hard social situations and challenging environments.  Most days he has laughed and he has cried…he has been told to be quiet and he has been told to speak up…his attempts at humor have been ignored and his head has hurt because of the lights and the sounds of the world.  Every single day.  And yet tomorrow he will wake up and try again.  He will try engaging with people.  He will try being a good brother and a good son and a good student.  It would be so much easier to just stay in bed.  But this is the life that he has been given.  This is the call that he has been given.  And he dives in every morning, counting on God to sustain him.

          That is righteousness and that is the measuring stick laid out before us.

A moment to reflect:

How could you try to engage the world today with hope and joy?

Refrigerator Art of the Day:

D Age 10