Let’s Not Make It Too Complicated

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m mystified by things both mechanical and technological. I don’t know why or how my car starts when I insert key into the ignition and give it a turn, but I’m glad it does. And how my computer works, handling words and numbers and images and videos and sounds seamlessly exceeds my comprehension. But I use it just the same, thankful for all the tech wizards who’ve toiled so diligently to make computers work with increasing speed and efficiency.

When was the last time you dedicated time to absorbing your car’s owner’s manual, or the operator’s manual that came with your computer? If you’re a mechanic or techie, you might have. Most of us, however, are content with just the basics. If things get more complicated, like the computer suddenly and inexplicably freezing up, or the car failing to run properly, we turn to the experts.

The funny thing is, we typically don’t do that with everyday life. We think we’re the experts, assuming we know exactly how to achieve our goals – whether it’s success, or wealth, or health, or happiness – without consulting anyone else. Then, when our “best laid plans go astray,” to borrow a phrase from poet Robert Burns, we scream bloody murder. “Why me?! Why does life always pick on me?”

If the passage of years has taught me anything, it’s that I really need to read the manual – and consult with the Expert – if I’m to expect life to turn out anywhere near what I hope it can be.

That seemed to be the message of a chapter I read in Proverbs recently. The first two verses declare, “My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity” (Proverbs 3:1-2). Who doesn’t wish for prolonged years and prosperity? But then there’s the catch – remembering what God has taught, and keeping His commands. There’s got to be another way, right?

Next I came across the passage I adopted as my life verses more than 35 years ago: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6). Of course, typically our preference is not to acknowledge God and His presence in our lives. We hope He’s not paying attention, so we can be free to do whatever we want to do without interference.

The following verses, however, offer a stern rebuke for that kind of thinking: “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones” (Proverbs 3:7-8). There’s the promise again – health and well-being – with the caveat not to rely on our own wisdom but rather, approach life in reverent fear and obedience to God. This again flies against our tendency to insist, “It’s my life, and I’ll live as I want to!” Doesn’t society teach this?

Finally, speaking of wisdom – God’s eternal, unchanging wisdom – another passage tells us, “long life is in her right hand; in her right hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed” (Proverbs 3:16-18).

Returning to the mechanical metaphor, long ago I learned if I periodically get the oil changed in my car, check the tire pressure, and follow the owner’s manual’s guidelines for routine maintenance, it will last much longer and I won’t have to start each trip worrying about whether it’s going to conk out along the highway. I don’t have to understand how a combustion engine works, especially with its electronic complexities. I just need to consult the manual, do what it says for properly maintaining my car, and reasonably expect to keep a well-running car for a long time.

Similarly, even though it seems mankind for thousands of years has always “(done) what seemed right in their own eyes” (Judges 17:6), that’s not the way to go if we’re desiring to live long and prosperous lives. We need to resolve, even if reluctantly at first, to follow the Manual – the Word of God, which we commonly call the Bible – and the guidelines given to us by our Creator, the Master Designer. If we do that, we might discover things aren’t as complicated as we think they are.

The Day Everything Changed

The day many of us will never forget.

With this post appearing on September 11, it seems right to use it to reflect on that day 13 years ago when it seemed everything changed.

For most of us the morning began quietly enough, but before long we began having one of those “you’re not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy” moments. We started hearing about a commercial jet slamming into one of the World Trade Center towers. “How does that happen?” we all wondered. When the second jet rammed the other tower, we knew.

As the day unfolded we learned more and more about the causes and effects of those horrendous, unimaginable acts of terrorism, not only in Manhattan but also at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and in a lonely Pennsylvania field. It became one of those “where were you when…” events, like the assassination of JFK, the passing of Elvis, and the Challenger explosion. It’s interesting how tragic, unexpected deaths create for us mental and emotional markers.

That, of course, was in 2001. We’re now in 2014, and the world we knew then has changed dramatically, irrevocably. From long security lines at airports to the unending wars in the Middle East, from memorials that remain for the thousands who died on that day to the unfortunate profiling of Muslims because of a small minority of deranged terrorists, life is very different today.

It would be nice to conclude we’ve learned some things from that day. Well, we have, but many of those things haven’t been good. Terrorism remains an ever-present threat. Hatred across ethnic, ideological and racial lines persists, perhaps stronger than ever. So far the answer to the question, “Can’t we all just get along?” seems a resounding, “No!”

Some people far more optimistic and idealistic than me continue to espouse the belief humanity is “evolving,” and eventually we’ll become more loving, more accepting, kinder, and more (and I hate this word) “tolerant.” But where’s the proof? Show me the evidence.

More than ever, our nation – and the world – seem encamped at starkly divergent, irreconcilable ideological poles. At this rate, the word “compromise” will probably soon be eradicated from dictionaries due to lack of use. The polarizing influence of news reporting and the dart-throwing of opinions on social media only feed this growing malaise.

Violence in many forms hasn’t abated. If anything it’s escalated, and contrary to what some believe, I don’t think the solution is simply more stringent gun laws. When people are hell-bent on mayhem, if they want guns they’ll find them. And if they can’t get guns, killers will use knives, explosives, hammers, sewing needles, or their bare hands if they need to do so. Didn’t the terrorists at the Boston Marathon use pressure cookers?

Years ago we often heard the declaration, “There are no absolutes!” Many seem to have bought into this philosophy, and now we’re reaping what we’ve sown. In the Old Testament, Judges 21:25 states, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.” Regardless of your view of President Obama, it seems everyone these days is intent on doing as they see fit – what is right in their own eyes.

So where are we, 13 years after the grim, unspeakable events of 9-11? What have we learned – for the better? If we’re determined to insist on “my truth,” as if we find Truth served on a buffet table so we can select whatever appeals to us at the moment, it seems foolish for us to expect any positive change. As someone has said, “If you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything.”

Does that suggest we should despair? Not at all. Despite the events of 9-11, and everything since then, we have the assurance God hasn’t changed one iota. As the Scriptures assure us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).

I’m confident God is busily at work, even though He might not be doing things in the way we think they should be done. But that’s why He is God – and we’re not. He doesn’t need our advice. The depth of His love, grace and mercy defy our comprehension.

So as I observe the continuing, escalating turmoil around us, there’s not much in what we see to inspire hope. But then I’m reminded, “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

It also helps to reflect on days when thoughts of God were alien to our minds, and then “remember at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near” (Ephesians 2:12).

So again on September 11 we pause and think about the past. But those that are followers of Jesus Christ can also look ahead, filled with hope and anticipation for the future. Our U.S. currency, to the chagrin of some, still proclaims, “In God We Trust.” Today’s a good day for doing just that.