Reflections: July 2010

Monday, July 19, 2010

Seek First the Kingdom of God

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How do we care for nature without worshiping it? We must cautiously walk the line between care for our world and embracing animism. “Nothing must come before the kingdom of God, including the desire for a simple life-style.” “The person who does not seek the kingdom first does not seek it at all.” (Schut p. 185 &186) If we put nature before God we cease to care and protect it; instead we move toward idolatry.
            This idolatry manifests its self in the subtle forms of animism, pantheism, Wicca, and New Age. All of these religious expressions begin by seeing nature as more than the created. Each of the beliefs has been woven into some Christians’ belief systems. Such worship is deadly to the true Christian walk.
            Satan does not wrap his forms of religion in unattractive vessels. His lies have some truth carefully mix in as to draw you unawares. Each form of nature worship holds the truth that we were made to care for our world. Yet it artfully wraps this and exalts the creation above the creator.
            When we fall for these kinds of worship we loose our grip on God’s principles. We can no longer find the true rest in a simple life. Contrary to scripture, we come to care more for the perceived “soul” of the natural world than for the hearts of the people for whom our Savior died. In the end, even our successful efforts to better that planet’s natural systems have failed.
            The best way we can care for the planet, is not to seek first global life-styles, but to seek first God. When we seek first our Lord, He cleans the inside of our hearts. The natural out growing of this process makes us the global citizens we should be. His love in our lives kills the selfishness that dwells within and guides us to give of ourselves in a life of simplicity.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Simplicity is NOT Optional

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Simplicity is often presented a optional. It is one way of responding. While its true the ways simplicity manifest its self should be an individual question, for Christians, simplicity is undeniably mandatory.

Those who have gone before us (the “great cloud of witnesses”-Heb. 12:1) all walked lives of simplicity. There were rich men and poor men. Yet they were not obsessed with worldly ways or passions. They walked in simplicity before their maker and lived in harmony with world around them. Paul noted that he had not been burdensome to the church at Corinth. (2 Cor. 12:13, 14) He could not have done this had Paul not been living a life of complete simplicity. This is also true of more modern men of faith. It can be said of the reformers that “The simplicity of their lifestyle gave integrity to the Gospel they preached.” (Schut p. 157)

The questions that the Desert Fathers asked themselves: “What can I do without? …How can I lose myself? … How can I love God?” (Schut p. 152) are the questions we must be asking ourselves. These questions are essential. The answers will reveal to us what it means to walk a Christian path.

I fully believe that “We must once again ask what it means to live faithful lives in our day. But we must ask fully expecting to receive an answer and full expecting to be given the power to obey the call.” (Schut p. 157) The important part, however, or this asking is the believing and following through upon the answers we receive.

These are the questions I am myself constantly seeking to answer more fully. For me the answers are just now becoming clearer. If I am to follow the witness of those who have gone before me, to follow in the footsteps of Christ, I see a life of simplicity that demands my full devotion. I want a life where it can be said that my lifestyle pointed to the God of my heart.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Creation: A Reason for Sustainable Living

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If our world was created by slow eons of time then it is nothing special. There would have been many climates and eco-systems that have come and gone. We would not be etching out a living on limited resources, but only a blip on the great continuum of time. Nothing can have inherent value if it is just the result of a lucky catastrophe.
The importance of simplicity, of conservation and restoration, of compassion is tied implicitly to the literal days of creation. “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day…” (Ex 20:11) It was created perfect; a world that knew no sin. It stood before Him as a jewel. Each element, each day, God saw that His work was good. (Gen 1: 12,18, 21,25) Then in a crowning act, God created one more creature. “And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness; … So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”(Gen 1:26-27) Only after creating man did he add the word “very” to his observations. “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” (Gen 1:31)
Because our world issued forth from the mouth of God we have a duty to protect and care for nature. We have, as decedents of Adam, received a command from God to protect the world in which we live. “And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” (Gen 2:15) The duty is undeniable.
Further more; we have an obligation to the natural world as mankind brought in distress. “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” (Rom. 8:22) It was man’s choice of sin that caused the world to suffer as it does now. Thus we are compelled to care for it and to restore it as our Lord would have us to do.

How Much Is Enough?

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     Alan Durning poses the question “When does consumption cease to add appreciable to human satisfaction?” (Schut p. 91) Yet the question begs to be asked, does consumption every really add to true satisfaction? It does add to personal comfort and at the most basic levels sustains life. Perhaps, though, the answer of how much is enough can be found not by looking at amounts of “stuff,” but by considering the true source of satisfaction.
            We have become so hung up on consumption that we do not even know how to consider life outside of these terms. “Traditional measure of success … [have been] gradually supplanted by a simple, universally recognized indicator of achievement-money.” (Schut p. 91-92) We selfishly judge our success by those who are under us and those who are ahead of us. “Cars today are almost the exact equivalent of the great Gothic cathedrals…” (Schut p. 93)
            Durning even suggests that while Moses could count the ethical rules, now they are innumerable. (Schut, p. 97) Though, if we went back to counting by ten we would find the solutions as natural outcomes of our principled choices. Matt 22:37-39 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the lord they God with all they heart, and with all they soul, and with all they mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself.” These verses sum up the Ten Commandments found in Ex 20.
If we are searching and following these Ten Commandments we will find the answers to the question: “How much is enough?” As we follow the commandments we will become less and less inwardly, selfishly focused and more outwardly, selflessly focused. Selflessness, compassion, and putting Christ first and foremost will answer the questions that quantifying never can.

Compassionate Living

I have been writing some reflections for the master classes I have been taking this summer. Seems such a shame to waste all my thoughts on an e-mail to an instructor, so I've decided to post a few here. :D
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            Is simple living synonymous with compassion? A case could be made that the choices made in simpler living provides for others to live better lives, thus it is a compassionate response. Yet I wonder, is it inherently compassionate? Or does the level of compassion resonate with the one choosing the simpler life? Can one choose a simple life and it have the opposite effect of compassion?
            My aunt knew a family in her church that lived a very simple life. They always wore the same clothes, week after week, to church. They had a mid sized family with three or four children, yet lived in a tiny cramped house. It’s not that they were dirty, just very simply. Their church community saw a need and began to support the family in small ways. Everyone assumed that the family did not have the means to provide a better life for their children and the family never corrected the view. Once the children had grown and left the nest, the parents left their poor life style and began to better provide for themselves.   It seemed that they were the “poor” millionaires. They had given their children a much lower standard of living than necessary. They took away resources from those who truly could have used them. Their choice for a simple life was purely selfish.
            Others may choose to live simply as a matter of “salvation.” They become self-righteous and look down their snub noses at those around them who do not choose to live as they do. They carry a martyr’s cross, their simplicity is their suffering. They are free from the sinful wants of this life. Or so they believe. Simple living is not intrinsically, compassionate living.
It is also most important to remember that “Global living doesn’t attempt to impose limits on others.” (Merkel p 16) Education and loving examples are powerful ways of encouraging a wider participation in compassionate life styles. “Lasting change happens when people see for themselves that a different way of life is more fulfilling than their present one. Eknath Easwaran” (Schut p. 11) If we attempt in any way to force people to comply, or share our choice of a simpler life, we will not be successful and only become counter productive.
            Compassionate living is a fundamental Christian life style. In Matthew chapter 25 Jesus shows that compassion is what separates the sheep from the goats. Those who enter into His kingdom are those who have: “done it unto one of the least of these my brethren,” (Matt 25:40). When one chooses a life of compassion, a life which embraces “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.” they will consider how each of their actions effect others. (dictionary.com) Thus compassionate living is synonymous with following Christ. It is inherently selflessness. If then selflessness inspires simplicity then one could suggest that a compassionate life is tantamount with a simple life.
            So one may choose a simple life out of compassion; yet simple living does not always result in compassion.

Reflections