September 1st

Why are we such a mess?

             I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.  For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God;  for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope  that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.  For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Romans 8:18-25

           

            Creation groans.  Creation aches.  Creation is in distress because the world is not as it should be.  The world is filled with death and decay and corruption and tragedy…and it was not meant to be this way.  In the face of sin and the curse and greed and idolatry and the burdens that mankind bears, the very world that we live in is strained to breaking.  It groans in the hope that one day all will be made right and new and as it should be.  The world is not right…and all creation suffers because of it.

            Do you ever wonder why you are such a mess?  Why is it that I am always so emotionally exhausted?  Why is it that I always live one bad conversation away from bingeing on junk food and television shows?  Why is it that I cannot, for the life of me, hold onto our good moments?  Why does it feel like I am always balancing on the edge of a cliff and can never make any progress onto solid financial or emotional footing?

            I think that we live in distress because this world is not as it should be.  Our children are not as they should be and they carry those burdens on their shoulders.  But we too carry that weight.  Just as Creation groans for the burdens of mankind, parents groan for the burdens of their children.  The rejection by my son’s peers?  I carry that.  The panicked run from the room when the wrong song comes on at the wrong time?  I carry that.  The crippling anxiety when our routine is broken?  I carry that.

            Of course we are frazzled and constantly on our last nerve.  We are watching as our beloved are betrayed by their own bodies and abandoned by their communities.  We are swimming to shore, carrying our kids on our backs and the shoreline keeps moving back.  We are trying to serve as advocate and shield and coach and friend and therapist and doctor and teacher and counselor and pastor…and then in the midst of that we are attempting to have some sort of life ourselves.

            This is not how life should be.  This is not how Creation was intended.  And we feel it.  We feel the weight.  We feel the dissonance.  We feel the wrongness of how things have come together and it wears on us, pulls on us and leaves us running on fumes.

            “For in hope we were saved.”

            This is not the full story.  This broken world…these broken bodies…this is not where we end.  This is not even where we will spend most of our time.  This is just for here and now.  This life is a mere moment…a speck in eternity…a blink of God’s eye.  This life will come and go and we will be blown away by the wonders and treasures that await us on the other side.  Paul said that when he looked at the sufferings of this life, they were nothing in comparison to the joy and beauty and laughter that we will find in Eternity.  Everything that my son is lacking in this life, he will have in abundance someday.  Everything that weighs me down will be gone in the blink of an eye.  On that magical and mysterious day all the burdens will be lifted, all the pains will be relieved, and all the tears will be wiped away, never to return.  On that day the broken will be built up and the weak will be strengthened.  It will be better than anything that we can imagine…

            And for today, we have hope.  And that hope is enough to help us to stand when we only feel like sleeping.  It is enough to help us to be gentle when we just want to lash out.  It is enough to help us rest when we just need to be doing something. 

            It is enough for today.

           

A moment to reflect:

Close your eyes for just a moment and breathe.  Allow hope to invade your heart and mind.