stating the obvious

If nothing else in my research class last quarter, I learned that the data doesn't always speak for itself.  You can be looking at the same data day-in and day-out until all of the sudden a new pattern or outlier or something of great importance which can just pop out at you.  Randomly, a lightbulb really does seem to come on.  My professor used to tell us that if we couldn't find anything significant we should just walk away for a while, get some fresh perspective.  All of this that a very long preface into a lightbulb that went off in my head yesterday.  I have now been alive and kicking for 20 Easters and countless readings of the betrayal and crucifixion of Jesus.  But this year, a new lightbulb went on and I apparently acquired a fresh perspective since the last time reading the Easter and pre-Easter passages.

It is striking and incredible that Jesus was perfect, lived a sinless life, fed people, healed people, did miracles, and people hated Him for it.  They hated that perfect man enough to kill him in the most excruciatingly painful and terribly humiliating way possible.  Even amidst all of the terrible circumstances, Jesus continued to act in a way that only the Son of God would be able.  In Luke 23:34, it is written, "Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.'"  Jesus was being led away, like a lamb being led to slaughter and yet, instead of showing anger, disappointment, or even fear, he was thinking of others.  He was not thinking about the brutal torture that he knew was about to be inflicted on his earthly body, but rather he was thinking about those who were sinning against him - not with anger, but with a hope that they would one day come to know The Father and know forgiveness.  Even more striking, however, is that Jesus was asking for the forgiveness of those people who were oppressing Him.  He prayed for his oppressors, with hope, in his dying days.

I see the world as a terribly broken place, but within all of the brokenness, I see such great beauty.  I see beauty in the people of the world, especially the poor and the oppressed.  My heart is with them.  It is so incredibly easy to despise those doing the wrong and to despise those who are oppressing the weak.  Its easy to forget that the oppressors, those who can be seen as "the worst of the worst" in society, are God's children too.  I am no better than they are - we are all sinful, fallen beings who so desperately need God's love and forgiveness.  If we truly are to paint the world a picture of Jesus, hating the oppressors is far from the right thing to do.  Hatred for those who hurt others is easier than loving them, but Jesus, in his dying days, loved them and pleaded for their forgiveness and salvation.  This Easter weekend, I am reminded that we are to love as Christ loves (Eph 5:2, Romans 5:8), even when its hard and even when the whole world tells us to hate.  Jesus, in his last moments, had hope for those who did not know The Father, and I believe that it is our duty to carry out that hope and do everything that we can to love others, even when they hurt us, for they are God's beloved children, just as we are.

This Easter, I am reminded to have hope.  Jesus died a terrible death and just when it seemed like all hope was lost, He rose from the dead.  He conquered sin.  He forgives me for my sin, just like He will forgive anyone who will ask for it.  This Easter, my prayers are for society's oppressors, that they would see that they have a father who loves them more than they can imagine and that forgiveness and love are theirs for the taking.  This Easter, I am reminded to love.  

blurred lines

Sometimes, it is so hard to find the lines in life, especially when they are so blurred.  As Christians, we are called to live lives of simplicity.  Until a few years ago, that was something I completely ignored - all my friends had nice things, so I did too.  I wish I could say that things have changed, but I think they have just heightened.  Having the right jeans has turned into having the right car which has turned into having the right vacation destinations, the most prestigious schools, and the list goes on.  American culture has taught us, since day one, that we are to live for ourselves - the American dream is the goal, right?  Um...no.  Simplicity means going against all of that - the nicest cars, schools, trips, all of it.  In a country where "keeping up with the Joneses" has become a way of life for so many (perpetuating social stratification), how do you step out of that?  How do you completely ignore the ways of the world?  How do you make wealth and "stuff" not central to life when that is exactly what the culture tells you to do?  I wish I had an answer.  I really wish I knew.

All I know is that Mark 10:25 says that, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  Its pretty obvious that being rich is not the goal.  I wish it were easier to live by that and to remember that such is the case.  Its been so heavy on my heart lately as people ask, time and time again, "what do you want to do when you graduate?"  When I respond by saying that I would eventually like to do social work the response usually is something along the lines of, "Oh.  Better find a rich husband!" or, "You know they don't make very much money right?"  Yes, thank you; I am aware.  I don't care.  Or at least, I try not to care.