There is a place that
has no name. It is characterized by silence and confusion. It is a place we
will all get to visit some time or more than once. This place is both pleasant
and unsettling. The voice of God is as a distant rumble sometimes, and other
times it is a very clear word in the ear. This place offers nothing to make you
want to stay. You look forward to departure, and you wonder how you ended up
there in the first place even though you are very aware of the events that led
you there.
There is a clear road
detailing your past and this road has a way of showing you the place you left. There
are constant reminders to your failures and an incessant laughter emanates from
the shadows of your shame. You can see each and every embarrassing detail of
your misdemeanours and cringe whenever a new one pops up. Your life is on
display in your mind and your neighbour on the bus wonders why you are making
strange faces as you daydream in the homebound traffic jam.
The road to your
future is not as clear. There seems to be a foggy aura around it. You can only
see as far as your hand, although some days are a bit clearer and you get to
see the peak of a distant mountain. However brief the glimpse of the future, it
reminds you of the destination and your resolve is strengthened as you get
excited about God and yourself again and hurriedly share your present joy
through Facebook, Twitter or some other social medium. The fog quickly settles
in and you are pointed back to your past. The gloom reappears and the cycle
continues.
How do we get out of
the nameless place? Do we look inside to make peace with ourselves? How can we,
yet we are our own carriers of guilt and condemnation. The unfortunately
present movies keep replaying themselves inside our minds and our countenance
falls each time a fresh wound is reopened. The already overburdened spirit
cannot bear anymore and we cry out to God wondering if He hears. He seems
silent, unconcerned, like an aloof grandfather whose aged ears cannot hear his
grandchildren’s cries for help.
Why does God allow His
children to go through hardship? Why doesn’t He keep us from things that will
harm us, hurt others and embarrass our community? If He is truly unconfined to
time, if He is truly God of the past, present and future, why doesn’t He steer
us clear of controversy? What is your place in this story? Where do you fit in?
What questions are you asking God, and what answers (if any) is He giving? Is it
wrong to question Him? Who bears the greatest burden of our sin, the devil or
the human being?
As much as this may be
the cliché answer, God is very much in control. He is very much a present help
in time of trouble. He keeps His word to never leave us nor forsake us. His ways
are indeed past knowing. He is Lord of Lords, and that basically gives Him the
right to do whatever He wants. Perhaps the most encouraging promise is that
everything in our lives works for our good, those of us who love Him, who are
called according to His purpose. Remember, if it isn’t good, then it’s not yet
the end. Hold on, you may be at the nameless place, but you are headed to a
place that does not require definition.
No comments:
Post a Comment