I haven't much time to post as thoughts bounce around in my head, many many little lights flickering here and there about various things that have been popping up in my life, the news, my Facebook feed--I admit it is a bit embarrassing that some of my consternation comes from the bits of inanity that I witness people post on social media, but it is in fact true... Between the Syrian refugee crisis, Obamacare, gun control drivel, presidential candidates debates, the murder and rape of Amanda Blackburn, the absurd idea of gender fluidity, the incredibly disappointing influence of political correctness on the church, muddling of right and wrong to a grayish twilight of not-so-bad-not-so-good by both Christians and the general society, and Blake Shelton getting with Gwen Stefani minutes after signing his divorce papers to Miranda Lambert, I find myself wanting to shake my fists at the sky and scream until my vocal chords rasp at the lack of conviction and principles that seem to be virtually everywhere. (OK, so I wasn't that put out by the Blake Shelton-Miranda Lambert divorce--it is Hollywood after all--but c'mon, Blake: Gwen??) Perhaps this isn't the place to discuss my thoughts, but here I am proceeding to discuss, because I am tired of being silent.
There are principles and morals that all individuals live by. Those who claim principles and morals are subjective to the individual are sadly mistaken. There is right and there is wrong. You cannot live your life in an innocuous middle ground, hoping to please God and fully embrace everyone with your morally ambiguous ideals. Within the heart of every man, there is a knowledge of good and evil, and that knowledge is not subjective to religion. You know because you were created in the image of God and as such there are things within our make up that we cannot escape. We can delude ourselves and others into thinking that we have reconciled our liberal views with our God, that He really is more liberal than we are because He loves everyone and wants us to love as He does. While I do not dispute the fact that God loves everyone in an incomprehensible capacity that I haven't even begun to fathom, He is the God of order, the God of righteousness and holiness, the God of holy wrath, and the God of mercy. That last one is one I struggle with the most sometimes. The injustices and evils that are so blatant continue to occur, the blatant lackadaisical attitude people have towards the definitive line in the sand, the avoidance of calling a spade by its proper name, all of these get my dander up. I, like Jonah, want God to rain down judgment, to consume the evil, to show that He is the one with the last word, that everyone who said He was not or who acted indifferent towards Him would be brought to their knees because because He has come to reclaim what is His at last. But that's the thing about our God. He is not at all governed by feelings as I am. He is merciful because He is God, because He sees the big picture of what has been, what is, and what will be, while I'm focusing on the right now.
When God heard the repentant cries from the people of Nineveh, Jonah was angry. He want to see fire, consummation of evil, vindication of what he had been proclaiming, that God was the one with the last laugh. But God knew it wasn't about the last laugh or vindication. And he knows now when I scream and point my finger asking, "WHY ARE THEY STILL HERE??? WHEN WILL THERE BE JUSTICE???" He knows and He reminds me gently as I huff with crossed arms, blood boiling in my beet red face, and angrily tapping foot, that a day is coming. But it is not that day. And I must wait and proclaim the truth of the Bible, the love of Jesus, and not waver in my faith because He has said patience. Patience---I desire that none shall perish---what are you doing to make Me known? To show the love of God and yet show the seriousness of the hour? So I will wait. I will wait and I will make His name known, because we are not meant for this world forever and there will come a day when it will be over and God will reign. How am I making Him known to others so that they will know His truth?
And that's where I will leave it for now...
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