viewoutsidethepew

Original sin, which I call The Eden Syndrome, pervades our world and personal lives to the point of overwhelming us.

In Eden people saw the chance to be like God, but since then it has escalated to “be” gods. What happens around us is filtered through our biassed, personal perception.

We ask someone to do something. They do it, as they understood it in their imperfect hearing and our imperfect speaking. Perhaps what they did does not meet with our approval. Someone under the Leadership of Jesus would be grateful that the person actually did something they thought would please us. Instead, we condemn and belittle them for their act of kindness, even love! We blame them for not getting it right. We shatter their self-image and trample on the soul of a child of Creator.

Why?

Because we act like a god, demanding perfection of imperfect flesh. Unlike the One True God, however, human gods are not motivated by compassionate love, but by power over others. We expect them to obey us as we expect, not as they are able to deliver.

Now I am not saying any of this is easy. When I was tormented by religion and stripped of spiritual community and career I searched for justice. It never came, and may never come. It took years before I began to see the dismal affair from a different perspective. Sure, I was brutalized. Yet I remained in the arms of Jesus. The abusers, however, had to crawl our of those same arms to exercise harsh and unyielding power over me. Their relationship with the Saviour became at risk! Once I was able to look beyond Eden, I could grasp why we are to pray for our enemies. I lost a lot in human and physical terms. They risk eternal loss. So I pray that they would leave Eden and find Calvary, turn away from the fruit that is pleasing to eye and taste, and take up their cross each day to serve the Almighty Creator God.

I have observed we would rather exercise personal power than practice humility. Since God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble, the picture becomes very clear.

Doing the right thing is not easy. But it is the only right way to stay right with God, the Real God. The Real God is love. When we live by our standards we seek to control others. When we live by Almighty Creator’s standards we love. God-like love serves.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you this: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. In this way you show that you are children of your Father in heaven. He makes his sun rise on people whether they are good or evil. He lets rain fall on them whether they are just or unjust. If you love those who love you, do you deserve a reward? Even the tax collectors do that! Are you doing anything remarkable if you welcome only your friends? Everyone does that!” (Matthew 5:43-47 God’s Word©)