You are so right, Joshua, about our hope not being in this world. Frankly I don't know how people who don't know Jesus maintain any sanity. Perhaps our high rates of anxiety and mental health issues are a result of declining knowledge of the hope that is within us Christ followers. Our moment in time is crowded with trouble: disasters natural and man made. Because our vision is limited to the here and now, we have only the timeless truth of the Bible (and to some extent reliable history) to catch a glimpse of God the Father and Creator's perspective on our human tragedy. What fools we mortals be, if we don't sell all that we have to obtain that pearl of greatest price. No lasting peace anywhere else. None. A sincere Christian can make a legitimate case for Party A or Party B. But every politician disappoints, probably sooner rather than later. Let's pray that God in his mercy keeps our eyes on Him, who never disappoints.
So very true, Joshua. Someone asked Mother Teresa what to do to make peace in the world. She said, "Go home and love your family. " So simple but so hard.
I am so thankful that Jesus has drawn our family into community with yours.
I’m feeling tension between wanting to focus on my local community where I can have observable impact, while not burying my head in the sand about suffering in the wider world where I don’t really know how to help beyond praying.
I think this is a legitimate tension because of the world we live in, connected to everything as we are through the internet. I think nearly everyone I've read who works in counter-cultural movements, Christian and non-Christian alike, emphasize work in the local community. That's where meaningful changes happen. Not that we don't try to do work in "big arenas," but the small matters a lot. Thanks, Nathan!
You are so right, Joshua, about our hope not being in this world. Frankly I don't know how people who don't know Jesus maintain any sanity. Perhaps our high rates of anxiety and mental health issues are a result of declining knowledge of the hope that is within us Christ followers. Our moment in time is crowded with trouble: disasters natural and man made. Because our vision is limited to the here and now, we have only the timeless truth of the Bible (and to some extent reliable history) to catch a glimpse of God the Father and Creator's perspective on our human tragedy. What fools we mortals be, if we don't sell all that we have to obtain that pearl of greatest price. No lasting peace anywhere else. None. A sincere Christian can make a legitimate case for Party A or Party B. But every politician disappoints, probably sooner rather than later. Let's pray that God in his mercy keeps our eyes on Him, who never disappoints.
Thanks for the comment, Shelley! I think, Like Nathan pointed out, consistent and faithful work in the local community is the way to go!
So very true, Joshua. Someone asked Mother Teresa what to do to make peace in the world. She said, "Go home and love your family. " So simple but so hard.
I am so thankful that Jesus has drawn our family into community with yours.
I’m feeling tension between wanting to focus on my local community where I can have observable impact, while not burying my head in the sand about suffering in the wider world where I don’t really know how to help beyond praying.
I think this is a legitimate tension because of the world we live in, connected to everything as we are through the internet. I think nearly everyone I've read who works in counter-cultural movements, Christian and non-Christian alike, emphasize work in the local community. That's where meaningful changes happen. Not that we don't try to do work in "big arenas," but the small matters a lot. Thanks, Nathan!