It's another busy day in Grantham. Rainy too. And dark. And chilly. But it is also a blessed day, don't you think? Simply because it is. I like to think of every moment as a gift. Every breath that I breathe, in and out non-stop since I was born, is really quite a privilege.
The world is a painful place. People suffer and people die. All the time. Turn on the news for a matter of minutes and you'll be exposed to more sadness and tragedy than one could possibly deal with. The BBC One-Minute World News is a prime example. It helps me to watch at the peak of my preoccupation -- with homework, errands, planning, email, work. As the dismal montage of misfortune and disaster streams across my screen with characteristic newsroom indifference, suddenly that pressing assignment doesn't seem so stressful. As I watch violent protests and floods, maybe work tonight won't be so bad after all.
Depressing? Certainly. Reality? Unfortunately.
So what? Well, this is somehow connected to my absence from the blogosphere this past semester. Let me explain.
People talk. Images flash. News comes in. People talk more. As a chapel speaker said boldly, though ironically, during a recent message, "I'm tired of all the talk." He was a Yale academic and director of some world missions research program. His message was excellent, but I especially appreciated his acknowledgment that when tragedy hits and uncertainty arises, the favoured response is to talk. Especially in Christian culture, but I feel it's a universal condition.
In my negligence of my own blog, I've become a fairly regular reader of a number of other blogs, from the New York Times, to Christian leaders, to professors. Everywhere I click, someone else has an incredibly insightful, intriguing opinion. A critique of the church here. An opinion on current events there. Maybe even a plan for changing the world somewhere. I love reading these inspiring posts, and I love engaging in the discussion that follows.
However, I've simultaneously been studying much more about society in the world at large. I've been listening to sermons on suffering as well, trying to make sense of the God I strive to know, a God of love and compassion and justice, and the horrible injustice that occurs all the time. Just a second ago someone died alone and forgotten. And another.
So where are God's followers during all of this? I just hope we're not missing our chance to take the Gospel to a world that needs its healing power because we're too busy reading about how we should be doing more.
Is the correct Christian response to talk ... or maybe to act? Obviously, in this information age a persuasive post or convicting message can go a long way to stir people's hearts. But, as Jesus himself pointed out, we're judged on how we live, not what we say.
So that's why I've been slow to blog recently. Well, that and I just haven't had as much free time. But I am simply trying to discover how my life can count for something in the world. If each moment is a gift, do I spend the available ones writing about what I should do, or just doing it?
So the obvious question now that I'm replacing all that cheap talk with heroic radical action, then, is: How many lives have I saved? How much hunger have I alleviated? To put it simply, what have I done for the least of these?
Well, you've got me there. You'll also notice how there are probably more question marks than periods in this post. That's because I'm not pretending to speak with any real authority. I'm just a seeker who has found the greatest Truth and the Eternal Way ... but I'm seeking further nonetheless.
Thanks for being here!
jmb
