maybe

what if?
what if we would credit Him with the good and the bad
and label the responsibility His for our healing and our forward progress?
the 44th psalm speaks in a majority discouraged tone
as the sons of korah write in full confidence that God is the source of their
pain, scattering, disgrace, their humbling,
and the last line?
rise up and help us; rescue us because of your unfailing love.
does it seem contradictory?
if you said yes you're not alone.
in fact probably the majority of self-identified christians would probably say the same
but
there's more to the discussion
there's more to the way that this possible contradiction plays out
a couple of options -
it is possible that the bible is full of contradiction that assists in proving the book's nature as all
allegory, poetry, art, symbolism
which leaves a lot of room for subjectivism
it is also possible that within this seeming contradiction
are layers of reality, the comprehension of which transcends human ability
and this contradiction is instead a beautiful compatibility
the coming together of sovereign God and dependent man
a partnership in which the one party is wisest, strongest, most humble, most compassionate
and the other is most trusting, most grateful, most cared for
even when
the pain, scattering, disgrace, humbling
doesn't make sense in these minds of limited capacity

just maybe
submission to the impossible-to-understand ways of the only-for-now unseen God
could pay massive dividends
in the currency of freedom
that lightest-weighted freedom
of safety, fearlessness, complete confidence, full acceptance
the kind that feels like those endless days of [healthy] childhood

and this way of living, i am convinced, would bring
an aboundingly fresh joyful light on all of these controversies and debates of our day
the ones that demand that God is chiefly concerned with mankind's pleasure and happiness
over His own glory and His wisest of all plans

and here is bit more commentary on this idea, a [crossroads bible church] sermon favorite

team

find our team blog here. hear what some of our students had to say about the time that we spent in jamaica.