Injustice and Disgust

Today, I was listening to the song Anger and Apathy by As I Lay Dying, and it lead me to think back to a message that I have recently heard about serving God by taking action in our community. The speaker was from a missionary team working in Zimbabwe, Africa, serving the hungry, homeless, and many orphaned children. In conjunction with the message, specific lines from the song lead me to formulate the following thoughts.

Many of us have allowed our centers of attention to be shifted and focused on our immediate surroundings, our zones of comfort in which we feel familiarity. So to speak, “Many of us have turned off the light outside, erasing what exists beyond our front door”. Our attention is focused so heavily on our everyday and comfortable environment, that we often forget what really happens in the outside world. Most of us are not exposed to suffering and injustice on a daily basis; and unless we are, it is very easy to let our focus be constrained to our immediate cozy environment. Fueled by feelings of apathy, this narrow-sightedness can lead us to ignore and forget the signs of suffering, sin, and injustice that are prevalent in our world. We are blind so to speak to the negative situations that cause us disgust at the mere thought of, let alone experiencing them. “Like a colorless sky over a sea of nothingness, hatred faces its enemies while apathy strikes furtively”.We focus our selective-attention on our bubbles of interactions, while at the same time abandoning all thought of the rest of the world in the hope of distancing ourselves from any connection. Our fellow humans that are suffering in turmoil become faceless beings that are cast aside and forced outside of our thoughts.

However, I strongly believe that this is not how the Lord wishes us to live. If we as Christians are to believe that God is disgusted by sin, injustice, and the suffering of His children, then why are we not disgusted as well? How can we claim to be faithful servants of the Lord if we intentionally cast aside our thoughts and concerns for our brothers and sisters suffering in turmoil. Where is our disgust with the fact that millions of people are homeless and suffering from starvation and other illnesses? All over the world there are people who are “striving for identity, buried by our lack of interest, souls marked as mere history”.

But it is not enough to just be disgusted with the things that disgust God, but we must also act to bring aid to those in need. Jesus did not just stand around while being disgusted with how the world was, he acted. Jesus was a mover and a shaker, and we as Christians can learn a lot from His teachings. “How much grievance will it take to awaken us from the comfort of our homes?”. When are we going to step up to the plate and accept our role and responsibilities as followers of Christ? Will we think about what disgusts ourselves as well as God, and more importantly will we act to bring aid to those in need? For without action, the benefits of mere thought are severely limited. “Until our anger burns against injustice, we will create the faceless by dismissing those forced to concede”. Only by taking action and bringing the fight against the causes of our disgust, are we able to help those in need whose faces we have so easily forgotten.

In The Wrong

"A man should never be ashamed to own that has been in the wrong, which is but saying in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday." ~ Jonathan Swift

I have been wrong every day, and for that every day I am wiser than the last. To everyone that I have wronged, I wish that I am able to share with you the wisdom that I have gained.

"The Only Constant Is Change"

"There is nothing that stays the same, from the foundation of our lives.
There is nothing that stays the same. There is nothing to erase time.

The only constant is change. Nothing remains the same.
The only constant is change. There's only growth or decay."


~ As I Lay Dying [The Only Constant Is Change]

The Human Hand and Tongue

The Human Hand and Tongue

It has been said many times that the human tongue is the voice of the heart, for whatever the voice speaks is how the heart truly feels. As with the tongue, the human hand also serves the heart of it’s master. When wielded properly by a warm and caring heart, the hand can build up extraordinary relationships as well as unfathomable structures. However, when the hand is directed by a cold and dark heart, evil acts of destruction are the only consequence.

Ever since the early beginnings of man the human hand and tongue have been classified in many regards as tools; tools that can either be used in righteous construction, or evil destruction. It is not the nature of the tools that decides the outcome of their use, but rather the nature of the heart that the tools serve. For if tools, such as the human hand and tongue, are used in honorable ways, righteous things and events are the outcome. The opposite is also true, if those very same tools are wielded with malice, then destruction is the only possible result.

So what it all comes down to is that in order to understand the reasoning of the impacts that our hands and tongue have on the world, we must first understand what lies deep within our heart. For only after we change our heart, will we ever be able to change the impact we have on others.

Swamps of Difficulty

When trudging through the swamps of difficulty, it is vital to always keep your head up. For if you don't, you will miss the Lord's signs, and will surely trip over the roots of evil.

Why So Much Stuff?!?

Why So Much Stuff?!?

Have you ever stopped and contemplated why we have so much stuff? I recently started packing up all my stuff in preparation for moving back down to Davis. And in the midst of packing, I came to realize that I have so much stuff. So many possessions that I’ve accumulated over the years, in an attempt to bring myself happiness. Computers, iPods, game consoles, and countless electronic gadgets, all treated as treasure and thought to have power over my happiness. We live in a society that pressures us to believe that happiness can be bought and sold, traded as commodities on an open market. Consumerism has taken hold of the majority of us, and has taught us that the things we buy can bring us happiness. Well, true happiness cannot be purchased! Sure, who doesn’t enjoy the smell of a new car or the crisp feel of fresh bills from an ATM. However, the satisfaction reaped from such things quickly fades away, and we are left with a deep longing for more. Always more. In the long run money doesn’t matter, materials don’t matter, our family and friends that we have in this lifetime are those who truly matter.

After thinking about this subject for quite some time, I’ve come up with two uniquely different examples that I think arrive at the crux of the matter. Now in the first example, I’m speaking mainly to men, since it involves video games. Oh how I do greatly enjoy video games; my friends and I spend countless days playing Modern Warfare 2 online alone, not to mention all the other games that I’ve played over the years. But is it really having the game console and playing the game that brings happiness? Or is it the social aspect of the game that brings all of our friends together for some Man-Time: shooting terrorists, mutilating zombies, and racing Pod-Racers! If the social part of online play was eliminated from all video games, I’m know for a fact that I would no longer reap much happiness from them. For me at least, it is not the possession of the game/console that brings me happiness. Rather it is the interaction with my friends that puts a smile on my face at the sight of every singing monkey, fires out sinister laughter from deep within my soul with the arrival of every AC-130, and warms my heart after every completed race on Rainbow Road….

My second example is for all the women out there who love to shop. While I may only have a limited experience with this type of activity, I still believe that my theory is correct. If you stop and think about it, is it the clothing and other possessions that are bought that really bring the happiness, or is true happiness created through the shopping experience with friends? I personally believe it to be the latter. Because really, what woman goes on a shopping spree by themselves? It’s almost always a social event, with one or several other friends going along for the excursion.

Now you may ask what point I am trying to make in all this, and the answer to that is that in the end, money and possessions don’t really matter. The experiences that we have with our family and friends are what bring true happiness. When searching for happiness, we as a culture need to stop looking for the “what”, and start searching for the “who”. Now, this isn’t to say that we should give up everything that we have and never accumulate any possessions. It’s just important to make sure that we have our priorities in order. When the meanings that we place on our possessions become more important than the relationships that we have with our family and friends, we have failed in the search for happiness.

“'Cause all this time I've just been too blind to understand what should matter to me. My friend this life we live, it's not what we have, it's what we believe in” ~ 3 Doors Down [It’s Not My Time]

Prayer Poem

I've been told several times recently to start writing down the poetry that forms in my mind. Well, here it is.

When the waves of darkness creep in and evil flexes it's wrath, we look to you Lord to light our path.

When the world crumbles beneath our feet and everything seems to go wrong, we look to you Lord for the strength to stand strong.

When our loved ones are called into your land, we look to you Lord to hold our hearts in your hands.

When even the most simple of things are filled with strife, we look to you Lord as an example for our life.

When everything that we had held onto as fact turns out to be absurd, we look to you Lord for truth through your word. 

Through all of this we look to you Lord, because we are not yet ready to fade.