Day 266 – Week 39 – “It’s the end of the world, as we know it, and I feel fine…”
Having a Heart in a Sometimes Heartless World
Having a Heart in a Sometimes Heartless World
Scripture focus: Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 1 Corinthians 15: 43 NLT
Life is sometimes very, very confusing. Recently our economy has tanked. Our election process, while extremely interesting, is really hard to follow – don’t you think? In forty-some days, we’ll go to the polls and vote. Unless you’re a rabid fan of one political party or the other – admit it - don’t you hesitate to pull the trigger in that ballot booth? Who can know, for sure, which candidate will lead us wisely? I know – some of you reading this think that, for sure, you know exactly who that person is – but I want to call your attention to the scriptures – where good kings go bad and no one predicted it. And how about our own lives? Could we accurately understand the twists and turns of our own bad behaving when compared to our big dreams?
Here’s something else that’s confusing. Scripture says our bodies are buried in brokenness, but will be raised in glory. Even Paul, the author of this good news reports, “But let me tell you something wonderful, a mystery I’ll probably never fully understand…” (1 Corinthians 15:51 The Message)
Even writers of pop songs get confused.
“In the final verse, (The other night I tripped a nice continental drift divide. Mount St. Edelite. Leonard Bernstein. Leonid Breshnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs. Birthday
slam, but neck, right? Right.) Michael Stipe describes a dream that he’s had about being at a party where everyone in the room is a famous person with the initials L.B. It’s silly and weird, and it’s a non sequitur in a song full of non sequiturs, but it’s perhaps the most memorable part, and provides its best shout-along moment: “Leonard Bernstein!” In the context of the song, it’s a colorful moment that captures the imagination with extremely specific language, but in the context of the band’s career, it’s one more example of Stipe delving into his unconscious mind for an impression of the world skewed by the imperfect way the human brain processes and categorizes information. In an old interview, Stipe expressed a bit of concern about why some corner of his mind could automatically offer up a list of famous men with the same initials, or why that sort of scenario could come up at all, but really, that’s just part of the beauty of the mind, and of dreaming. I reckon that if there’s any reason he has written about dreams on every record of his career, it’s because they provide our only direct path to the mysterious workings of our own minds, and the baffling pile-up of information, memories, traumas, received wisdom, and images that somehow add up to inform our perspective on the world, and form the basis of our identities.” Blog site written by Michael Perpetua, on September 9th, 2008 in reference to R.E.M.’s song…It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine…
So perhaps it’s good to start the day with a reminder. Although the world is wacko and our brains are baffling, God reminds us that we’ve got an awful lot going for us. Namely, God himself – in the business of making sense of the world we live in, and even the complicated creature we call ‘self.’ Whether the economy is boom or bust – God is still God. We may or may not understand ourselves or even our dreams – but we can seek with all our heart, mind, soul and strength to know God. At this moment, that sounds like a far safer bet than the stock market or our own wisdom. With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort. 1 Corinthians 15:58 The Message
Recommended reading: Isaiah 42 and 43 in the morning; Psalm 45 and Ephesians 2 in the evening
Copyright 2008 NorthStar Community
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