Jaundiced Eye

Update 2/17/19: Readers, I caught the tail end of a radio broadcast on 2/15/19 that brought this message home. It's not necessary to listen to the whole broadcast (although it's only 10 minutes). The part that pertains to what I'm referencing in this blog article starts at 7:35. I have included it here. I highly recommend Dr. Harry Reeder's broadcasts, which are available weekday mornings at 7:20 AM on WVCH, 740 AM. 

Hawthorne’s Anti-Heroes

Nathaniel Hawthorne was a student of human nature. His short stories, Young Goodman Brown  and The Minister's Black Veil, portray two religious men whose views of humanity become seriously compromised by the fallen nature of those around them. Both turn bitter, trustless, and essentially friendless by the end of their lives. The former loses faith in all his neighbors and even his wife (ironically named Faith), and becomes essentially the poster child for holier-than-thou piety. Parson Hooper in the latter uses his gloomy veil to keep others at arm's length and distance himself from his fellow man.

 I “get” these two guys, just as I “get” where Hawthorne was coming from. Cultural shifts in recent years have led to extreme divisiveness, not just in the country, but also in our churches. Compound this with the fact that many who identify as Christians in one breath (and I use that phrase advisedly, as the word “identity” has become associated with all manner of subjective “truth” and personal whim) denounce longstanding Scriptural precepts as outdated and narrow-minded in the next.

What’s a believer to do? 

Historical Context

Well, let me start by saying what a believer is NOT to do. We are not to allow cynicism and pride to cloud our understanding of our fellow man. Human beings have always been susceptible to weakness and depravity. We have only to look at the first book of the Bible to establish this disappointing fact. Adam and Eve’s lost battle with the fruit, the world’s first murder and broken family, the tragic choices (complete with marital grief and incest) of Lot and his family. If these stories demonstrate anything, it’s that man’s sin nature has been alive and well since the foundation of the world, long before he had pocket access to "adult entertainment" and other ungodly activities.

Fast forward to the New Testament churches. The apostle Paul spilled cisterns of ink addressing judgmental hearts, sexual sin, idolatry and other misconduct that was being winked at and even condoned by those who should have known better.   

Expert Advice

I’ve probed two sound theological minds about our nation’s seeming race to dismiss all constraints on behavior, so as to become as debauched as possible as soon as possible. Rev. Dave Frampton asserts that, no matter how licentious the United States has become, we have yet to surpass the ungodliness of some of the early churches (check out Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church). Pastor Frampton's advice is to immerse ourselves in the Word, standing ready always to give an answer for the hope that is within us. In other words, we are to look for opportunities to share the Gospel in season and out of season - oh, how out of season it is these days! People may not listen, but our responsibility is simply to proclaim it. As President John Quincy Adams observed, "Duty is ours, results are God's." 

The other – my own pastor, Rev. Steve Lyon – has cautioned our congregation against allowing cynicism to corrupt its spiritual eyesight. According to Pastor Lyon, the root word, "cyn," relates to being dog-like, but not in warm, fuzzy, cuddle-up-with-friendly-Fido sorts of ways. Instead, it evokes an anti-social, snarling dog that drives others away. Pastor warns that cynicism leads to bitterness about the human condition, and puts a serious crimp in our ability to serve the Lord. I would add that it can cause us to view humanity as sort of an excrement-covered heap of worthlessness, much like the priest described in Zechariah 3. Again, this sort of viewpoint can only corrode our relationships with others both inside and outside of the church.
 

Instead, Pastor Lyon urges both patience and discernment as we deal with fellow believers. While it’s unwise to accept everyone at face value, neither is it helpful to search for devils around every corner. He concedes that not everyone who wears the banner of Christianity is a true believer, and we are wise to keep our distance from those who talk a good game but don't seem to be walking the walk. On the other hand, we need to allow room for growth. 

To underscore this latter point, Pastor uses an illustration many can relate to these days. Just as it isn't right to judge folks in a gym who haven't yet attained "Body Beautiful," neither should we condemn fellow believers who are struggling – maybe only limping – towards holiness. We're all works in progress; God honors sincere efforts to become more Christ-like, and is exceedingly patient as growth occurs; His followers ought to do likewise with one another.
 

The Great Dentist

Remember those school visits from dental hygienists that broke up the monotony of our day to day routine? They would invariably dim the lights at some point and do some kind of magical test that would reveal the unseen filth on our teeth. In the midst of our eight-year-old “eeews” of shock and disgust, we internalized an important life lesson: beneath external beauty, impurities always linger. The message we got was clear: no matter how hard we try, we will always miss something. While we may need to brush more thoroughly, ultimately only the trained hand of the dentist is able to remove that which the naked eye simply can’t visualize.

This is true of the human heart as well. No matter how hard we may try to scrub ourselves free of sin, we are essentially contaminated even before we’re born because the womb that housed us was likewise contaminated. Sinfulness is inevitable, but because of Christ, it doesn’t have to be terminal!

Fortunately, Christians are in league with the Great Physician, who moonlights as the Great Dentist. Our God's "tools" can penetrate the basest heart and the grimiest goo. We need not feel disheartened or disgusted as we ponder the state of the world.  

We're not in this alone! 

Treating the Jaundiced Eye

So, what do we do, in light of these unalterable facts? How do we avoid a self-righteous attitude like Hawthorne’s disillusioned clergymen, who refused to associate with tainted mankind? Do we shut ourselves away from humanity, hoping others’ sin won’t “rub off” on us? More to the point, would isolating ourselves even do any good, or would we simply become more and more disenchanted and alone, while keeping our flawed brethren at arm’s length?

I can only offer up solutions that are helping this Christian avoid falling prey to cynicism. Prayer without ceasing is God's overarching prescription for the jaundiced eye. This includes prayer, not only for those who are struggling with ongoing sin issues, but perhaps even more for those who appear to be “doing it right.”  Who knows but that they may be fighting unrelenting battles with the enemy, and needing God’s hand of help and sustenance to resist!

A huge part of prayer involves asking God to work out the sin issues in our own lives, as opposed to simply taking note of others’ misdeeds. Christ pointedly tells us to take a good, long look at our own failings before criticizing of those of our brothers. Ultimately, it’s up to the Holy Spirit to do that which we are incapable of doing ourselves – bringing us and our fellow man closer to God’s holy standard.

Second, we are called to use our spiritual gifts, whether or not they seem to be making much difference in those to whom we’re ministering. Notice I didn’t say “any difference.” Part of discernment is evaluating whether the efforts we pour into others’ lives are matched by similar efforts on the part of the recipients.

My friend has an apt expression: don’t work any harder than the person you’re helping. We are cautioned against casting pearls before swine. Rather, Christ admonishes us to shake the dust off our feet, i.e., remove ourselves from situations in which our message is rejected. A modern way of saying this is, “Don’t throw good money after bad.” I’m not suggesting we limit our communication and contact solely to those with whom we agree spiritually. I am saying our closest confidantes and ministry partners ought to be those who are striving towards the same ends and moving in the same direction that we are.

Ultimately, whether or not our work achieves the desired outcome is not in our hands. We can be sure that the exercise of prayer and use of our gifts will affect Godly results in us. Our responsibility begins and ends with obeying the Lord.

He’ll take care of the rest.

Kicking the Comfort Zone to the Curb

God took me out of my comfort zone this week.

I fell in the parking lot of my workplace the other day, bringing many an extra pound down on the right side of my body.

Ouch.

My ribs have been screaming for mercy ever since. I've been handling the problem appropriately - making phone calls and appointments, caring for myself with the help of loving family, but the long and the short of it is, I ended up in the ER yesterday.

Lest my reader is wondering, I don't do the ER.

Oh, I do it for other people - I'm very good at that.

Why not? I've had tons of practice, what with caring for sick parents, injured children, nervous friends. I'm great at advocating, advising, encouraging, and generally lending support.

See, I'm a person who helps others, NOT a person others help.

Oh, I've needed help over the years when life got messy.

And I've hated every minute of it.

I hated the situation that put me in a position of needing help, whether it was illness, incapacity, life drama - you name it.

And I hated needing help.

I figured out why yesterday.

Pride. Pure and simple.

There's a lot of talk going on these days about identity, and I find much of it ridiculous and even dangerous. But that's for another article.

Then again, maybe it's not.

Without taking this post in a completely different direction, let me just say, for the record, that self-perception can be misleading at best and devastating at worst.

For example, if I'm human but see myself as a gorilla, I put myself at an extreme disadvantage by seeking medical care from a vet as opposed to an MD.

But back to the main topic. The bottom line is, we all identify some way. We see ourselves in a certain light.

I like to see myself as someone who has overcome many obstacles, continues to overcome new ones, and generally makes her way in the world.

I've written extensively about the love and help from family and friends that picked me up when I couldn't do so for myself, and the voices that spoke truth and hope to me at the darkest times of my life. These interventions were nothing short of divine, the hands and mouthpieces of God, as it were. I'm not forgetting that for one moment.

Nevertheless, in day to day life, I enjoy getting things done. Tackling tasks and ticking them off my to-do list.

It kind of puts a crimp in that when you have to think before breaths and movements, taking into consideration in advance the best and least painful position to accomplish the aforesaid.

So, when I found myself in the ER, I felt vulnerable. Oh, and silly.

Because, as I said, I don't do the ER. At least, not for myself.

Things that helped?

Patient and caring medical staff who assured me I had reason to be there, despite my apologetic attitude (after all, I wasn't bleeding to death or even unconscious).

Several unlooked for blessings. My right hand, which is also my dominant hand, took part of the blow, but is functioning just fine. Likewise, my right knee and hip, for which I sought treatment through an arthritis doctor and physical therapy a few short years ago, show no signs of acting up. And, in testimony to God's infinite sense of humor and penchant for the absurd (think sacrificing His perfect Son for a horribly imperfect world), a heel spur on my right foot, which has been plaguing me for months, feels remarkably better!

Not least, a tattoo on the arm of a technician which spoke to my embarrassed heart. Again, for the record, I don't like tattoos (sorry, sons), finding them generally unappealing and altogether frivolous and unnecessary in a nation where people are going to bed hungry (not to mention the fact that God forbids them). That said, this one hit the proverbial spot.

It read simply, You are loved. You are worthy. You are enough.

A cross bracketed the whole phrase.

Resisting the urge to question the theology of the sentiment (if we were worthy and enough, why would the Son of God have had to die excruciatingly at the hands of brutal men?), I have to say it was just what I needed.

Fast forward to today. Notwithstanding an arm angry from a tetanus shot and pride wounded by fingers poking around my flabby midsection, I choose to hold my head high, realizing it's a head, however unworthy, that the Son of God died for.

Despite all the mental torture I put myself through about my situation being less deserving of treatment than that of the poor baby wailing down the hall from me, I have to say God came through. He gave me presence of mind to ask the right questions, seek clarification, and leave with the materials needed for a follow-up appointment next week.

He even saw to it that the hospital validated the parking.

Talk about being enough.

"For God gave us a spirit not of fear 

but of power and love and self-control."

~ 2 Timothy 1:7