Do a Google search for the phrase "life doesn't make sense," and odds are you'll get some 838,000 results. (I did.) Specifically, life makes little sense when judged by our best reasoning and instincts. It seems that well-laid plans should run smoothly, that people who work hard for dreams should achieve them, that evil should be stopped before it has the chance to do real damage, and that people should keep their health at least for the first thirty-five years of life.
Probably the majority of times, things do happen that way. But when they don't, everyone notices. A woman who followed all the rules of diet and exercise is stricken with terminal cancer at age twenty-nine. A drunk driver collides with an inner-city student who finally achieved the first college scholarship in his family a week earlier--the young man who worked so hard for a better future dies, and the driver whose thoughtlessness caused the tragedy isn't even scratched. Two families, next-door neighbors who to all appearances are equally law-abiding and decent, both pray for protection in a storm--a tornado rips down the street, swerves away from one family's house, and levels the other's.
It's not fair--which is usually what "Life doesn't make sense" means. No one talks about the "senselessness" of a hardworking but poverty-level teacher's suddenly inheriting $2 million willed by a fifth cousin to "my nearest living relative who can be located in six months"--though the odds against it are probably greater than those against the teacher's falling victim to a drive-by shooter. Regardless, the "life doesn't make sense" argument is also a key point of the "Is there a God or isn't there?" question. If there isn't a God, life really is senseless--but then how do you explain the human instinct that says life should make sense? If there is a God, why doesn't He add a little more "sense" to life?
There's a clue in Isaiah 55:8: "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the LORD." In other words, it's not only possible that things will happen that make sense to God but not to us--it's inevitable. Truthfully, the very existence of another common phrase, "for your own good," proves that we do understand "higher ways" sometimes must prevail. Your cat can't understand why he needs a rabies shot; a three-year-old can't really comprehend why eating a whole bottle of flavored aspirin is a bad idea; and a high school student is incapable of fully accepting that he isn't ready to vote, drink beer, or leave town for an unchaperoned weekend.
Our understanding is considerably farther below God's than a cat's is below a human being's. Pets and small children rarely hold it against us for long when we do something for their own good. Let's try to be as wise in accepting God's will for our lives.
Life is confusion, life is hard;
Circumstance has no reason or rhyme;
If you search for details of what makes life tick,
Reason falls on its face every time.
Life is confusion, life is tough;
And no matter how hard you may try,
Things will always occur far beyond human power
To find reasons for "whether" and "why."
Life is confusion, life is hard;
But there is deeper purpose behind,
And someday we will see, in a world yet to come,
That all made perfect sense in God's mind.
Showing posts with label God's purpose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God's purpose. Show all posts
Friday, June 10, 2011
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
God Still Has Work for You
Mid-life crises are not a "privilege" reserved for the 45-60 crowd. I had two before I turned thirty: the first just after college, and the second while working on my master's degree seven years later. Any completion of a stage in life without a clear idea as to the next step, any life-changing tragedy or illness, any sudden realization that one has made little progress toward early dreams, can trigger deep depression or extreme "acting out."
Regardless of chronological age or outward manifestations, the root cause is the same: a fear that one has "missed one's chance," wasted the most (perhaps the only) valuable part of life. "My life is as good as over" is not a pleasant feeling; and knowing that your official life expectancy calls for several more decades can, if anything, intensify the sense of hopelessness.
Such problems are associated with the "middle-aged" perhaps largely because Western culture has long glorified the innovation and energy associated with youth, at the expense of long life's experience and wisdom. Although there's some evidence that this view is changing as retirees become an increasingly large part of the population and vigorous octogenerians move away from the exception and toward the rule, we still have a long way to go before discarding the idea that "old people are worn out and not much good for anything," or that "gray hair and wrinkles are ugly and should be concealed." Even though the Bible says that "gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life" (Prov. 16:31, NIV).
Nineteenth-century Scottish pastor William Arnot has some helpful advice for those tempted to midlife crises (in Laws from Heaven for Life on Earth): "The very fact of a Christian being here [on earth] and not in heaven, is a proof that some work awaits him." It is never God's will for any Christian to sit around feeling sorry for himself, or to live for "pleasure." If we feel useless and worn out, it's probably because we've forgotten to ask God what we should be doing right now.
Even being bedridden is no excuse. The famous missionary William Carey received hours of daily prayer support from his sister, who was almost completely paralyzed physically.
But far from paralyzed in effectiveness for the Lord.
You who are feeble and feel worn out--
You who are sick and frail--
You who are lonely for human ties--
You whose best hopes did fail--
Do not deceive yourself and say
All of your use is through:
As long as you're here and not in heaven,
God still has work for you!
There may be prayer you can offer up;
There may be some small art;
You might have smiles for despairing souls,
To cheer some hurting heart--
Do not demean your work as small;
Do what you find to do:
As long as you're here and not in heaven,
God still has work for you!
He Who received the poor widow's coins,
He Who calls small things great,
Will not despise what you do for Him,
However weak your state;
Do what you can to serve His cause,
Till earthly life is through:
Then know, when He calls you home to heaven,
He will have praise for you!
Regardless of chronological age or outward manifestations, the root cause is the same: a fear that one has "missed one's chance," wasted the most (perhaps the only) valuable part of life. "My life is as good as over" is not a pleasant feeling; and knowing that your official life expectancy calls for several more decades can, if anything, intensify the sense of hopelessness.
Such problems are associated with the "middle-aged" perhaps largely because Western culture has long glorified the innovation and energy associated with youth, at the expense of long life's experience and wisdom. Although there's some evidence that this view is changing as retirees become an increasingly large part of the population and vigorous octogenerians move away from the exception and toward the rule, we still have a long way to go before discarding the idea that "old people are worn out and not much good for anything," or that "gray hair and wrinkles are ugly and should be concealed." Even though the Bible says that "gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life" (Prov. 16:31, NIV).
Nineteenth-century Scottish pastor William Arnot has some helpful advice for those tempted to midlife crises (in Laws from Heaven for Life on Earth): "The very fact of a Christian being here [on earth] and not in heaven, is a proof that some work awaits him." It is never God's will for any Christian to sit around feeling sorry for himself, or to live for "pleasure." If we feel useless and worn out, it's probably because we've forgotten to ask God what we should be doing right now.
Even being bedridden is no excuse. The famous missionary William Carey received hours of daily prayer support from his sister, who was almost completely paralyzed physically.
But far from paralyzed in effectiveness for the Lord.
You who are feeble and feel worn out--
You who are sick and frail--
You who are lonely for human ties--
You whose best hopes did fail--
Do not deceive yourself and say
All of your use is through:
As long as you're here and not in heaven,
God still has work for you!
There may be prayer you can offer up;
There may be some small art;
You might have smiles for despairing souls,
To cheer some hurting heart--
Do not demean your work as small;
Do what you find to do:
As long as you're here and not in heaven,
God still has work for you!
He Who received the poor widow's coins,
He Who calls small things great,
Will not despise what you do for Him,
However weak your state;
Do what you can to serve His cause,
Till earthly life is through:
Then know, when He calls you home to heaven,
He will have praise for you!
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