Consider this, an honest observation of the natural world witnesses chaos and violence as an integral part of progress.
Survival of the fittest is a provable reality.
Whether it is water tearing through a river basin or reshaping boulders, water wins. Is there destruction in the wake of a flood? Does the serpentine shape of a newly formed river follow the laws of chaos?
On the open plains of the Serengeti the slow zebra is surely the dead zebra and the fastest most violent self-serving lion will eat at the head of that steaming black and white table all the while reluctantly sharing the feast with other lions.
Considerably farther down the food chain, honey bees are not self serving. Every act of the honey bee is for the sake of the queen and the hive.
Most valid research indicates that these types of creatures existed long before humans. So what did God learn from this?
God was able to verify that life on this planet is and will always be very predictable. The lower orders of life would function selflessly. The higher orders, with limited free will slowly added to the recipe, predictably became more selfish.
Mankind is now ready to take the stage. Born with a remarkable balance of free will and instinct, man is set to attempt what no other creature has ever done.
History unfailingly tells us who we are and what we are capable of. Even though the winners write history to glorify themselves, the facts lay before us in pools of blood, chaos, and violence. Unable or unwilling to kill other humans, the kind and meek died on the battlefield by the millions.
To the agnostic and atheist this life experience denies a loving God or a god altogether.
And God wonders, "Can my children use their free will to overcome their laziness, selfish fears and violence? Will they allow my spirit to help them overpower their animal ancestry of these very same traits? Will they break through the inertia of the animal kingdom to experience the power of free will dominated by love and thereby learn my true nature?"
I believe there was once such man who accomplished this.
He made preposterous claims that he and this creator were the same and yet he would always yield and say, "It is not my will but your will be done."
There are written stories that say this man was able to defy natural law. Real physical ailments and diseases were cured within moments. These events, if they were accomplished, weren't done by shouting prayers for healing repeatedly. There are no recorded statements that a collection plate was passed around after the miracles. This man simply inquired if such a healing was the will of the creator, which he called, "Father". If he determined it was he would simply say something like, "rise, take up your bed and walk."
And you might say, "What about my life that didn't turn out the way I planned. When are we going to talk about that?"
This is your life. Whether by accident or intention, every man and woman has been a victim of chaos and violence. Everyone has been taken advantage of by the selfish manifestations of people they often know and call friend.
Some wear these physical expressions of a selfish heart as a Gucci suit while for others they are the sack cloth and ashes of a tormented soul.
As the honeybee lives for the greater good, sacrificing his "self" totally unaware, we are called to sacrifice our selfish cravings totally aware. The honeybee neither dons jewelry or shame.
To whom much is given, much is required.
Every person I have met acknowledges a reservoir of power that lies within the human mind and heart.
And while they rarely agree as to the source of this power and how it should be used, they know this power exists.
Millions of men and women fawn over those with power and wealth. They want their photo taken next to a famous, powerful or rich person. Even though history shows us that their power and wealth are virtually always acquired by selfish means, we honor them anyway.
Our churches are full of people who will tell you the famous person they met before they will tell you about the unknown, "unimportant" person they met.
This wreckage of our lives is like the twisted steel of a bridge after a massive earthquake. Our masterful rationalization, for our cosmetically covered selfish lives, now becomes something uselessly akin to a piece of abstract art.
If I am correct. We are more selfish that we want our friends to know. We have caused as much or more chaos in the lives of others as they have created in ours.
Why should our lives turn out as we planned? We have stolen from others with our mind, heart, hands, and soul.
Now is not the time to get depressed and think about how horrible we are.
Here is some remarkably great news. This gift of self awareness comes at a price. We are incapable of standing triumphant on the shores of a greater good without having swum through the cesspools of selfishness. It is impossible to triumphantly manifest courage, kindness, and real sacrifice without bearing the crushing weight of self love, self admiration, and the seeds of self destruction that grows from it.
Every one of us has had the opportunity to say, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."
Precious few have ever risen to such spectacular heights of unchallengeable spiritual power as did Jesus when he spoke those words. And I assure you those words will echo for all eternity and to the furthermost reaches of space as power, love,and hope.
But this much is absolutely and eternally true.
We are capable of living a self-forgetful existence.
To experience the real power of free will and tap into this power is within our grasp.
Unlike the honeybee, we have been given the free will opportunity to make our life plans and watch them fall apart over and over and over. Unlike the lion, we have been given the privilege of forgiving and asking forgiveness as we ascend this ladder from selfish animal to unselfish man.
As we climb the challenging and adventurous ladder of life, rung by laborious rung,our backpacks are heavy with potential failure. If we would just realize we strapped this heavy load on ourselves we might just as easily discard it. Even when someone you trust offers you the bag of selfish sorrows and bids you to carry it. Think about the longevity of that commitment.
If you believe in God, thank him for not letting your life turn out the way you planned. If it did you would have no compassion for others. You would pity them for not having divine favor, as you surely must, and you would bask in the magnificence of your reflection.
Thank God for your trials. Thank God for your enemies. Thank God for your friends. And if you have a noble and loving family and spouse cry out in gratitude every day.
Stop giving money to the church if you think God is going to give you more money back.
That is not a sacrifice, that is a selfish bribe.
Stop asking God to make your problems go away. Remember that Jesus, as an kind, unresisting self forgetful man, faced every trial and indignity with the absolute power of human potential, he loved and forgave those who spitefully used him.
On the eve of his death, while the disciples clamored for seats of honor around the supper table,Jesus deliberately presented himself as a lowly servant and washed their dusty feet. This selfless act represented and still reflects the highest level of spiritual power that any man or woman might attain.
While we might consciously cast aside our egos and demean ourselves to attempt holiness, in front of others, Jesus' love for his disciples once again found a way to break through their limitations and thrust a new paradigm of spiritual truth upon them. There was no affectation in this act. It was holiness manifested in flesh.
We must find the daily opportunities before us which give us the moments of choice where we can rise to the mastery of life and seize them passionately and lovingly.
Jesus did not run from problems nor should we. Jesus faced every day knowing he would make a conscious decision that his free will would be subject to the will of the Father.
Go and do something that you will be proud of when you lay your head down to sleep tonight.
Should there be a tomorrow, go and do the same again. And do these things without being asked or told to do them.
Life did not turn out the way Jesus planned but he changed the world forever with his loving kindness to a world crying out for holiness while carrying their burdens of selfish desires. Go and do the same.
We have been called friend by the greatest person who has ever lived. Honor his trust in you.
