Short-Sighted at the Edge of the Universe

Suggested Reading: Proverbs 11:1-7

The most recent series in the Stargate franchise was the show Stargate: Universe. The premise of the show was that an ancient race of beings created a ship designed to travel to the edge of the universe. The ship's mission was to uncover a mysterious signal that seemed to predate the existence of the universe itself. Even though this ship traveled amazingly fast, the trip was still supposed to take millions of years. When humans discovered how to reach this ship through the Stargate, the ship was already millennia into its journey. Though the race that had created both the Stargates and this ship were long dead and gone, their mission of discovery continued, now carried on by others who had discovered the ship and its mission.

In some ways, the premise of the show is mind-blowing. Being on board a space-ship that is millions of years old, continuing a journey of discovery started by an ancient alien race that has long since died out? The premise pushes the boundaries of the imagination in its size and scope, especially considering how short-sighted we can be.  As I thought about how far-reaching the vision of these fictional aliens would have to be, I began thinking about how many plans we make for the future and how many of our visions are grand enough to continue past our own lifetimes. Then I found this verse: Proverbs 11:7 states,  "When the wicked die, their hopes perish with them, for they rely on their own feeble strength" (NLT).

One of the signs of a wicked person is their short-sightedness, the fact that their visions and hopes do not live beyond themselves or what they can accomplish on their own. This short-sightedness is exactly the opposite of the way in which our Heavenly Father operates. Our Father operates on such a grand scale that, knowing we would sin and find ourselves separated from God, "he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 1:4-5, NIV).  Our Father set in motion a plan that would take millennia to unfold in order to give us a chance to be with him.  He made Abraham a promise that all the peoples of the world would be blessed through him. He gave Jesus' disciples a command to go preach the Gospel throughout the entire world. None of these plans were events that would take place overnight or even in the lifetimes of the individuals involved. God's plans are so big and so grand that they far out-live our individual life-spans.

What about us? What are our hopes? Are they short-sighted? Are they centered around our own desires and limited by our own strength? Or do we take after our Father in our hopes? Are our hopes so big and grand that they can never be accomplished in a single lifetime? Are our hopes so audacious that they will require more than the strength which we alone possess? If our hopes are bigger than ourselves, they can endure long after we are gone. But if we are wicked, our hopes will be confined to our own lifetimes and limited by our own strength.

What do our hopes say about us? Are we daring enough to hope for something bigger than ourselves? Are we willing to devote our strength to a cause that might not be accomplished in our own lifetimes?  If not, maybe we need a new hope.

It's Good to Be Crazy

Suggested Reading: Mark 3:20-35

For me, one of the most intriguing passages in the Gospel of Mark is Mark 3:21. Jesus has begun his ministry. He has been healing the sick, restoring the paralyzed, and teaching the good news of the Kingdom of God. The crowds are gathering around him in numbers so great that Jesus and his disciples have trouble eating. Then in verse 21, we're told  that when his family heard this, they set out to restrain him, because they said, He's out of His mind" (HCSB). Jesus had been doing some amazing, incredible, miraculous things, but those who knew him best just didn't seem to understand. They thought he was crazy. Jesus had been doing miracles for anyone and everyone to see and his family thought he was out of his mind! More than that, the scribes accused him of only being able to cast out demons because he had a demon himself.

To the outside world, much of what we do as Christians is hard to comprehend, even when the miraculous is staring them in the face. Even when those around us can see the changes Christ has accomplished in our lives, how we have been provided for in the midst of impossible situations, how healing and wholeness has been restored and marriages have been healed, they can still look at us and say we are crazy. Our lives don't fit parameters that they understand and they don't know how to react. I have family members on both sides of my family who have been practically disowned because of their relationships with Christ. I have met young women whose families have kicked them out and cut them off, who were forced to live in the church building itself, because their families could not fathom their decision to follow Christ.

But I have also seen those same family members who accused their Christian relatives of being crazy finally come to a place of understanding. I have watched when that "crazy" lifestyle was lived out long enough and consistently enough that charges of insanity became confessions of conviction.  A perfect example is Jesus' family itself. When Jesus' family came to get him and his mother and brothers stood outside ready to take charge of him (Mark 3:31), Jesus could see the day when his family would finally believe; his brother James would become the leader of the Church in Jerusalem, while his brother Jude would go on to write a letter that would be included in our Bible.

In the middle of the strained relationship, it may be tempting to give into despair because people simply don't understand. Your sense of hope may be dwindling that these people you care so much about will ever understand. But don't give up. Continue to pray for them, to love them, and to live the consistent life of a Jesus-follower. People may think you are crazy now, but they thought the same about Jesus.