Just a few thoughts as the day begins-
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I have noticed that contentment is missing in our culture today. People are never content or happy with where they are, what they are doing, what they have now. Have we bred into our culture a subtle discontent that has made us a people who want change, but are never happy with the change we get?
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I have noticed that silence is missing. There is no place to find quiet. Noise is everywhere. Even as I sit in my car at a stop light with the radio off the car beside me will have the radio so loud it rattles MY windows. I watch people and see a real uneasiness when silence happens. They don't know what to do. I love silent times....times to think, quiet my mind and heart, listen to God. Are we addicted to noise so we won't have to listen for God's quiet voice?
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I have noticed, as I visit with people, a great pride in what I would call "personal truth." I'm a little amazed and surprised at how brazen and bold people are about "their truth." There is no common ground of truth we all acknowledge any longer, but now there is a rising tide of pride in personal truth. And, on that same topic, there is an increasing disdain for anything that would say "this is what God says." Constructing our personal gods is a messy business.
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I have noticed, doing a lot of counseling, that shame and remorse over sin is gone. I remember a day when a real shame and remorse over sins committed was part of repentance, but I have not seen shame in a long time....where did the awareness of God's holiness and our own sinfulness go? How have we come to a place where people have no shame at all for the most wicked behavior? This very question dates me, but sadly, with the word of God being taken out of our culture there is no longer a clarity on what is right and what is wrong. And, even worse, there is no fear of God in the lives of those who flaunt their behavior. It's Romans 1 lived out in a culture. I know we are in a post-God culture when shame has gone missing from the lives of those around us.
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I have more....but let me stop here for now. My intent in this blog is that it be encouraging, edifying and positive. My thoughts today run in a different direction, so I will close with just these thoughts on what's on my mind this morning. I would enjoy your comments with this as the first phrase...."I have noticed..."
3 comments:
These are very thought-provoking, Mike.
I started reading a book by John Ortberg -- one of my fave authors - "Faith and Doubt." I am really enjoying it. Ortberg has very succinctly said exactly what I haven't been able to express - that in the walk of faith, there is room for doubt and it's not a bad thing. Ok, so there's more to it than that...but that's just a flavor of the book.
Maybe it's frustration that the Christian community doesn't allow a hurting person to just HURT and just cry with them instead of offering them platitudes - "God is good." "God has a plan." Frankly, though I KNOW these things are true, I find them totally frustrating in times of doubt. Could you just be quiet and cry with me? This is where I see that silence is missing - in our hurt - when WE need to work it out with God and need someone else to come alongside us, love us and pray with us...not give us advice. (Is that harsh?? I don't mean to be.)
Enjoy your day off!!
Schweers' mom, I agree with you completely. And no, it's not harsh. Compasion for another person sometimes means we simply offer them a ministry of presence and nothing more. Great comments.
No Mike, don’t stop. (I sometimes believe we get to much encouraging, edifying and positive massages). I have noticed the same thing and at times I can see it in me, things just ten years or so ago would have been so shameful to me just don’t seem that bad. Then if I stop long enough to think about it and I start trying to see things though Gods eyes, I can usually start seeing the shame in it. So you are right we do need to stop and listen to God more, because God help us we sure don’t here much about it in culture or our churches anymore.
Joe
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