Skip to main content

Why?

           These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. (Deuteronomy 6:1-3)

This passage is the lead up to the Shema, where Moses declares that God is one, and that we are to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths. If a parent were saying something like this to their child, they’d say “I want you to listen to me, because I’m telling you this for your own good.  You’ll thank me someday.”

And the kid would roll his eyes and think, Here we go again.

How often are we like the kid? Too often, I know that doing something is not a good idea, but I do it anyway. Most of the time, it’s not a big thing. I eat a spoonful of peanut butter or a piece of cheese that I don’t need, or I watch some TV instead of reading, cleaning, writing, or whatever. I’ve listened to people tell me, “I know it’s probably a mistake, but…” and “It’s my life, and you have to let me make my own mistakes.”

I’ve shared the results of studies that show that the family structure that provides the best environment for a man, for a woman, and for their children is the traditional structure of father and mother who remain married to one another and who raise their children as a team. And I get told, “Yeah, but we can’t all live like that” and “You don’t know how abusive (or dysfunctional) my father (or mother) is.”

I may not, but that doesn’t mean that the traditional family is not the best structure. Even if your family can’t be that family, shouldn’t we promote what is best as the best? Instead, the politically correct world demands that we promote and celebrate all the structures that aren’t as good, or that even fail.

God told the Israelites how to live so that they could have the best possible lives. He’s told us as well. Why can’t we at least be honest with ourselves? Why do we have to pretend that we’re not being stupid when we shoot ourselves in the foot by doing things we know won’t help us in the long run?

And why do we insist that others praise us for it? I can't help but think of the movie Ground Hog's Day.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The List

              Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,   through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;   perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)           Think about it. We have been justified. At least, we could be justified if we stopped insisting that our justification be based on our merits. We have peace with God, or could have peace if we stopped throwing temper tantrums. We have gained access into grace i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen!

  While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)            Do you like roller coasters? I don't. You spend forever climbing a hill. You get to the top and have half a second, then you race down to a low point. Sometimes the racing down involves tying your insides into knots. At the bottom, you either have to be dragged up another hill or you get off the ride. Peter's life was a roller coaster from the time he met Jesus. There would be miracles, and then Jesus would teach things that didn't always make sense, and then they'd go out and perform miracles, and return to be taught. Peter was praised for giving the right answer to "Who do you say that I am?" Jesus said that said answer came from God. Peter was at the top of the hill.            ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Prayer Lists

                 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (I Peter 2:2-3)   In connection with what I wrote yesterday about the possibility that I’m wrong, I’m feeling the need to go back to basics - craving spiritual milk because somehow, I missed something. It’s a little embarrassing, craving milk like a newborn, but the truth probably is that we are newborns many times in many ways in our lives. From God’s perspective, we may never be anything more than newborns, forever needing that milk. On the other hand, being a newborn can also be exciting because so much is new. My mind is playing pinball - ricocheting from one idea to the next and through six more before it happens to hit the third again. The main topic is prayer. I have at least seven organizing structures all somewhat influenced by the movie War Room , which I’v...
Post a Comment
Read more