Translating a World on the Edge

It takes a lot of courage to keep our faith in a world such as ours. Day by day, we hear bigger and bigger lies. We see leaders whose ethics we’d like to respect become, instead, so disreputable that we fear for our country. And we feel the pinch of that.

We have been fooled—and we’ve been too involved in ourselves to notice. We have not turned over the tables in the temple. We have not warned the cheaters. We have not called for Truth loud enough to be heard. And it is my belief that, one day, we will regret it terribly.

Let’s wake up, before we can’t wake up at all. Let’s look into ourselves—-unselfishly look–to find even the smallest ways to assist our culture and our country, founded on principles of Faith which we haven’t seen in a long while. Let’s bring them back.

Let’s bring back Honesty as opposed to lies.

Courage as opposed to timidity.

Freedom as opposed to unfounded restrictions.

Let’s eliminate the utilization of people to keep them victims, as opposed to lifting them to their rightful high place as good and dignified human beings created by God.

Let’s secure respect for Life itself.

Because if we don’t, where we end up will be worse than we can even imagine.

Day by day, our world is becoming wilder, and less virtuous.

Day by day, we are drowning, all the while grasping to hang on to what we’re ‘told’ that we need to survive. ‘Told’ not by our own heart and soul, but by people who have only their imprudent interests in mind. ‘Told’ by those who would use us for their own purposes, until the beautiful core values of America become like pieces of chewed-up gum stuck to the dirtied soles of avaricious power-worshippers.

Oh yes. We’ve left principle behind. We’ve left Faith and values behind. It’s a wild world now. Does anyone doubt that we need to change it?

In our house, there are some hard-core football fans. My team is Alabama—Roll Tide!

My husband’s is Notre Dame—Go Irish!

Because I must play fair, and will be talking about Notre Dame,
I will first submit this picture of the talented AJ McCarron,  as a record-setter for TD passes.

Now that I’ve shown my allegiance, I go on to Notre Dame–a wonderful and legendary school.

Because my husband is such a fan, we’ve been to quite a few games at Notre Dame where the “Touchdown Jesus” mural is visible above the stadium walls.

The mural is actually called, “The Word of Life Mural.” The figure of Christ, with arms raised, has become known as the “touch-down” gesture. The mural was created for the exterior of the Hesburgh Library at The University of Notre Dame in 1964.

It shows the continuous process of one generation passing its gifts to the next, with Christ centered as the great teacher, and as goodness itself.

“The Word of Life” mural is a representation of a passage from the Bible

in the Book of John1: 1-5.

In the beginning was the Word:
the Word was with God
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things came to be,
not one thing had its being but through him.
All that came to be had life in him,
and that life was the light of men,
a light that shines in the dark,
a light that darkness could not overpower.

The light that shines in the dark is Goodness. Goodness comes from God.

And in the game of life on Earth, we– you and I—are its receivers.

Through The Holy Spirit, goodness has been passed into our hands. We are literally asked to be the hands of Jesus Christ on Earth.

That’s a huge legacy.

Of course, we don’t have to catch it.

But let’s do.

Let’s be vigilant about catching the goodness that God has passed to us.  Let’s go virile with it.

Let’s run with the ball. Don’t fumble it. Don’t drop it. And when the right time comes to throw it, let’s make our play one that’s good enough for a touchdown.

It’s hard to believe that someone could be totally lonely in our busy—and seemingly connected–world. There are so many ways to communicate with each other. At least, electronically.

But is it ‘real’ communication? Haven’t you noticed people sitting in restaurants, across the table from each other where conversation would be easy? But they are not in conversation. Instead, they’re fiddling with their iPhones. Each of them, hoping to connect to that piece of equipment for some message they perceive as important–while missing connection with the person directly in front of them.

We are all meant to connect. Truthfully, we’re all connected to each other. Not by cell phone, or Facebook, but by the fact that we’re created in the image of God and because of that, our creation has a common purpose–goodness. (more…)

How many times a day do you use you cell phone to take pictures? If you’re a new mother or father, it’s many. And as our children grow we take many more of those precious moments that won’t be repeated. We constantly keep our cell phones or cameras charged up so that we don’t miss anything.

I wonder if we realize that at the same time, our children are taking pictures of us. They’re taking pictures with their own eyes, pictures that will be remembered, re-charged, and most definitely repeated. In many ways, we’re playing the lead character in our child’s mental movie, or the subject of his personal painting about how to react to life, love, pain, or joy. And eventually, our children will show their pictures to the world in a myriad of positive, or negative. ways. (more…)

Because we are human, there is in each of us the desire to acquire. Often we are after ‘things;’ bigger houses, cars, vacations, and lots of ‘stuff.’ Other times, we are after ‘power;’ some authority over others whether it be through our job or relationships.

What is this common personality trait–our desire to acquire–really all about? I think it’s because we are searching for meaning–in our own eyes and in the eyes of others. No one wants to be thought as passing insignificantly through this world, and so we strive to be relevant in some way.

But the desire to acquire can get out of hand. We must use self-discipline, or the very things that we work so hard to get will not give us relevance, but enslavement. (more…)

If we don’t want to hear the truth about ourselves or our actions, we become defensive. We ask “What is truth?” when we’re looking it right in the face. We come to the conclusion that truth is what I say it is because “I think for myself.”

And then we attack the messenger. We go down the road of ME, where truth is relative, where no one else is as important as I am, and no one else’s needs are as vital as my own. And we tell the messenger of truth that he is wrong.

But we’re deceiving ourselves with our own silver tongues.

We deceive ourselves as Pontius Pilate did. We use clever words. We wash our hands, so we won’t be blamed, and we allow truth to be hung on a cross.

Sadly, we barely notice the hanging.

Today is a time of mass deception because we are asleep at the wheel, asleep to truth. The general population seems more concerned with the newest electronic device, or the latest reality show, while the ethics, morality, and honesty of our leaders are in decay. And we react to that decay like G.K Chesterton’s analogy of dead fish floating with the current.

Even if we do notice, it’s never our fault, is it? We may be first to point a finger, but often, we’re the last to lift a hand.

We use all sorts of clever ‘talking tools’ to make our way seem correct. And some of us—-especially in politics and the entertainment industry–have the shiniest of silver tongues. But how many use those tongues to uncover Truth?

Life isn’t easy. Each of us face problems, and sometimes we don’t know which way to turn in solving those problems or in making our lives better. Sometimes there seems to be no answer to our difficulties–at least none that we can come up with on our own. We are like leaves haphazardly blowing in the wind.

But why do we feel that we have to be in complete charge of every aspect of our lives? Why are we so afraid to give up control and surrender ourselves and our problems totally to the will of God?

Is it that we don’t believe that He loves us—-really and personally loves each one of us? Because if we don’t first believe that He loves us, then there’s no way we’ll trust Him.

Stop a minute and think about it. The person I trust most in the world is the person who loves me, who wants only the best for me, and would lay down his life for me if he had to.

If I believe that Almighty God loves me—-and he does–then why shouldn’t I trust Him enough to surrender all?

Mary, the mother of Jesus, surrendered. If she hadn’t, there would be no Jesus Christ. If she hadn’t, there would be no Christianity. If she hadn’t, we’d never have heard the words, “eternal life.” In fact, we would have no idea how to attain it.

Mary allowed God to use her; and yes, she could have said no. She had free will just like the rest of us. Almighty God would never have forced her to bear His son.

For a moment, put yourself in her position. When Mary was asked to be that vessel by a messenger from God, what would she have thought–“Am I going crazy? Do I really see an angel? Am I dreaming?”

She was engaged to be married. How would Joseph react if she turned up pregnant? He had the right to have her stoned. But there was something in her, a grace given by God that allowed her to trust that the angel was His messenger. She didn’t ask for proof that she would become the mother of the Redeemer. Her only question was, “How?” She trusted that nothing is impossible for God, and then she surrendered.

“I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to thy will.” Luke 1:38 

Both in this life and in the next, all men and women are called to the same end: God himself.

But the human  person  needs to live in society. Society is a requirement of his nature. Still, we are only a breath away from leaving it. Only a breath away from our own death.

Death is something we all must face, but sometimes we live as if we’ll never face it. We take a journey on the road called, ME.

We intentionally hurt others. We lie when we should tell the truth. We cheat in school, in business, in marriage, when we should remain faithful. We use others to our own means. We stick needles in our arms. We swallow pills, the propaganda of sexual freedom, and the taking of innocent human lives. We pay no attention to what our conscience is telling us, and instead, go on to do what we know is wrong. Then we blame others for the grief that comes from our own lack of responsibility.

At the time of our death, do we want to be caught in situations such as those?

Not so long ago, people used to talk about ‘a good death,’ an honorable death, one preceded by repentance. That is all well and good if you have time to do it. But often death doesn’t give us that luxury. Our last breath can be sudden.

The truth is that knowing we will die ought to affect how we live. And for many, it does.

Am I one of them?

No one is created perfect. No one lives a perfect life. Of course, that is an understatement.

I know of a man who killed his brother out of jealousy. I know of a woman who lied knowing it would ruin another’s life. I know of a mother who chose drugs and a life on the streets over her child. I know of a father who deserted his family and left them to welfare. I know of a politician who went to jail for stealing campaign funds. I know of a nurse who killed nearly fifty patients. I know of a doctor who killed hundreds of innocent babies for money. I know of a man who kidnapped children and kept them for years as sex objects. I know of a man who entered a crowd and began shooting.

You know these people, too. You’ve heard about them on the news. Maybe you’ve encountered people like them in your own life. Maybe you’re even one of them. They are many. They are legion. And they’ve always been with us.

From a view of loftiness, we may wonder what causes these violent, selfish behaviors. How do they happen?

Don’t point too stiff a finger. Each of us has the capacity to be violent or selfish. But each of us also has the capacity to be gentle and self-giving.

I also know of a man who saved his brother’s life, of a woman who I don’t believe has ever lied in her life. I know of many mothers and fathers who daily, and with much sacrifice, love and care for their children. I know of politicians not out for power or money, but in the service of others. I know of nurses who care deeply for the dying, and conscientious doctors who save the lives of a multitude of children and adults. I know of men who believe that sex is not selfish, but a self-giving gift to be shared only with his spouse.

What causes these behaviors? They’re so opposite from the ones first listed. How do they happen? How do we get to them? One word will answer: Grace.

Then how do we get to Grace?

We have God’s grace within us already, but many of us have covered it over with everything our conscience warns us against. We take the easy way. It’s almost as if we see ourselves as stuck in concrete and either can’t, or don’t want to, get out of –dare I say it–sin. We’ve allowed ourselves to become so distracted that many of us don’t acknowledge grace, or its power, at all.

Put the word ‘grace’ in Google and see what comes up first. It’s the name of a corporation. It’s an acronym to map the earth’s gravity. It’s part of the name of a TV show.

It’s too bad that the most important–and yes, crucial–meaning of the word is ignored. Because we need it. We ought to recognize it. We ought to act with it.

The grace of God is within our reach, so reach for it. Pray for it.

Let’s get there if we can.