Joy, hope, full of opportunity and new life, a puppy even on the street, seems to smile and greet everyone with an excited optimism. He is ready to explore. He has never met a stranger and is completely ignorant to the hard, often bitter life that awaits him. The little one is approached in like kind with joy, laughter, and smiles. The passersby greet him with the same toothy grin he bestows upon them. His joy is reciprocated. His mother, perhaps his mother, lays gaunt with tired, jaded eyes not knowing if there will be another meal. Beaten and bitten time and again and replaced with a mangled ear and bite scars sprinkled across her fur, her once hope and joy filled eyes have long since departed. The same eyes that her son now possesses. The street is unkind but the youthful puppy knows it not and cares not. He nibbles at the shoestrings of passersby playfully. They don’t mind. No one approaches to mangy mutt and she approaches no one else. She knows. The only grace on the street consists of leftovers tossed out in garbage bags and even then acquiring the crumbs within do not come without cost, sometimes blood. There’s a good reason people say, “it’s a dog eat dog world.” The other dogs know. They move from the paths of passersbys’ once curious shoestrings because sometimes the laces meet them swiftly under the snout or in the rib cage, screaming indifference to their harsh world...the street. A place of little grace and less mercy. The nights are far worse. The hopeless wails are heard from comfortable bedrooms as adjacent packs contend for their territory. The indifferent occupants wish for the peace and quiet of sleep. The street is unkind and merciless but only those who live there truly understand this. Love and compassion are a foreign word there. There is only survival. It exists only as a dream and then only in the hopeful eyes of the puppy. Ultimately, the puppy’s external experiences shape his view of the world whether that view is clear or foggy, based in reality or woundedness.
...But perhaps he sees something his jaded elders don’t. Without negative experiences, there are endless possibilities and ultimately an unwavering hope. These kinds of negative experiences are also called trials (or tests). They are called this because they “try” or “test” where our hope lies. For instance, if our hope is anchored upon a firm foundation then the brightness of our eyes will not dim in the midst of the many difficulties in life. However, these trials may reveal (for that is all they do) that we stand on sinking sand. If I may take the illustration a bit further--and in a different direction--many allow their circumstances, their trials, to inform their identity (good dog vs bad dog). We do this in subtle ways by asking ourselves wrong questions like “Why is this happening to me?” I say wrong questions like these because such questions carry with them a hidden assumption. Allow me to reask the question with the assumptions presented more clearly, “Why are these bad things happening to me, a decent human being? I don’t deserve this!” What is more, I believe that the same question leads to most of the injustices in our world when you turn it on its head. For example, when we see a poor person suffering, we often assume they did something morally wrong (in this life according to some, in the previous life for others) to deserve it. There’s that word again…”deserve”. Who says we deserve any good or blessings at all? Who says that person deserves the suffering they are experiencing? Who? Which brings me to my last question if we are calling these experiences trials or tests then who exactly is it that is conducting these trials? Yes, I’m aware that I am assuming something here but bear with the questions. Who is He? (If I may even call Him that) What is He like? Is He benevolent or is He evil? Does He love? Can He hate? There’s an old adage by a most famous teacher, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous.” If this is the kind of Being that is above all, then this presents a radically different worldview than what we tout when we say things like “I don’t deserve this!” or “That beggar must have made a lot of mistakes in his life”. Apparently, the teacher recognized that as created beings we are invited to be like our Father, our Creator in the same way that our earthly fathers seek to teach us good principles and values. The world-famous Indian freedom fighter, Mahatma Gandhi, recognized the life and society transforming benefits of this worldview of compassion and mercy when it is actually lived out. He changed an entire nation with it. However, this view is couched in the very nature of God and how He operates. The two are completely and totally inseparable.
In conclusion, how do you view the world? Listen to the statements that you make. Do you say things like “Why is this happening to me?” Does that mean you consider yourself a good and just person deserving of something better? Or have you considered the uncleanness of your own heart and wake up with an everyday thankfulness that the sunshine imbues your bones with strength? Back to identity...you cannot allow your circumstances to reveal to you who you are (i.e. good dog receives treats, bad dog receives kicks), you must look to the One who created you for that. Ultimately, only His opinion matters for He is the source of all things. And as Father and Creator only He can answer the question: Who am I? But to better ask that question we must first ask: “Who is He?” Well, who is He? Your answer to this question will inform not only your hope but your entire view of the world and how it operates. Make sure you get this one right because this is the thing that shapes, liberates, or enslaves societies.
...But perhaps he sees something his jaded elders don’t. Without negative experiences, there are endless possibilities and ultimately an unwavering hope. These kinds of negative experiences are also called trials (or tests). They are called this because they “try” or “test” where our hope lies. For instance, if our hope is anchored upon a firm foundation then the brightness of our eyes will not dim in the midst of the many difficulties in life. However, these trials may reveal (for that is all they do) that we stand on sinking sand. If I may take the illustration a bit further--and in a different direction--many allow their circumstances, their trials, to inform their identity (good dog vs bad dog). We do this in subtle ways by asking ourselves wrong questions like “Why is this happening to me?” I say wrong questions like these because such questions carry with them a hidden assumption. Allow me to reask the question with the assumptions presented more clearly, “Why are these bad things happening to me, a decent human being? I don’t deserve this!” What is more, I believe that the same question leads to most of the injustices in our world when you turn it on its head. For example, when we see a poor person suffering, we often assume they did something morally wrong (in this life according to some, in the previous life for others) to deserve it. There’s that word again…”deserve”. Who says we deserve any good or blessings at all? Who says that person deserves the suffering they are experiencing? Who? Which brings me to my last question if we are calling these experiences trials or tests then who exactly is it that is conducting these trials? Yes, I’m aware that I am assuming something here but bear with the questions. Who is He? (If I may even call Him that) What is He like? Is He benevolent or is He evil? Does He love? Can He hate? There’s an old adage by a most famous teacher, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous.” If this is the kind of Being that is above all, then this presents a radically different worldview than what we tout when we say things like “I don’t deserve this!” or “That beggar must have made a lot of mistakes in his life”. Apparently, the teacher recognized that as created beings we are invited to be like our Father, our Creator in the same way that our earthly fathers seek to teach us good principles and values. The world-famous Indian freedom fighter, Mahatma Gandhi, recognized the life and society transforming benefits of this worldview of compassion and mercy when it is actually lived out. He changed an entire nation with it. However, this view is couched in the very nature of God and how He operates. The two are completely and totally inseparable.
In conclusion, how do you view the world? Listen to the statements that you make. Do you say things like “Why is this happening to me?” Does that mean you consider yourself a good and just person deserving of something better? Or have you considered the uncleanness of your own heart and wake up with an everyday thankfulness that the sunshine imbues your bones with strength? Back to identity...you cannot allow your circumstances to reveal to you who you are (i.e. good dog receives treats, bad dog receives kicks), you must look to the One who created you for that. Ultimately, only His opinion matters for He is the source of all things. And as Father and Creator only He can answer the question: Who am I? But to better ask that question we must first ask: “Who is He?” Well, who is He? Your answer to this question will inform not only your hope but your entire view of the world and how it operates. Make sure you get this one right because this is the thing that shapes, liberates, or enslaves societies.
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