Who’s really in control?

Who has not at one time felt the pain of abandonment, of feeling lost or alone almost forgotten by everyone around you even those you have loved. We have all in our own way found ourselves feeling helpless. We spend so much time trying so hard to find security in this world, so much time trying hard protecting ourselves from further disappointments and hardships that we sometimes loose track for what would truly benefit us in this journey of life because our eyes have been so narrowly fixed on ourselves rather than on the bigger picture of what is going on. So many times I have allowed myself to become distracted on what was around me and it’s almost as if I felt voiceless in a sea of inequality while lying in a tomb of hopelessness with lust as my only comfort.

On my spiritual journey I’ve slowly begun to discover that there is nothing in this world that is meant to satisfy us and it for that reason that any time we seek things the world has to offer we will always in the in the end become disheartened and unsatisfied. I keep hearing in my head to seek that which is above. It’s a familiar phrase taken from the third chapter of the book of Colossians. But what does this mean to seek what is above and why is that of any importance to me? The odd thing about Christianity is how opposite its teaching are to how the world lives and often its countercultural lessons come off sounding restrictive, almost prudish and very much outdated with how we live our lives today. In the end we often pick and choose from many faiths and teachings finding ourselves unable to commit to anyone discipline because we do not want to have to be held responsible for how we are living out our lives. I find many people who wear crosses around their necks do so because it’s nothing more than a piece of jewelry while others it has become a pious symbol but the Cross is so much more than that.. The Cross is a device of torcher and it is a constant reminder that life is not fare and it’s not easy and whatever the circumstance may be we all have to journey to this instrument of death on our accord so we can enter into the mystery with complete humility so as to fully appreciate the opportunity of what it means to co-participate with Christ. Often it is through our suffering that God is able to speak to us and it is through our example of what we do with this suffering that allows us to witness the message God desires others to hear.

We can take comfort however when we read that while Christ was on the Cross he cried out “Eli Eli, lama sabachthani.” Words that mean My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? It’s a familiar cry all of us profess at many times in our lives. But the truth behind this wasn’t that Christ cried out these words in despair but instead he united himself to our suffering and offered up a lesson that is as relevant today as it was 2000 years ago. Christ death wasn’t about Christ it was for us. His focus during his entire life and most especially on his journey to the Cross was one of obedience to the desires of what is above. We live in a culture that unsuccessfully tries to teach us to deny the truth of death. The addictions and attachments of this world are almost a denial for the truths of God. If we know in our heart that we are not meant to find joy in this world why would we live our lives trying to seek it out and in the end find only disappointment and sorrow because of our enslavement to our passions. The truth is we are not the most important person in the world and the world does not revolve around me or owe me anything. Our culture is too concerned with our personal self-esteem whose only focus is on our little problems. By limiting our view we are unable to see the bigger picture that we are not and never have been in control. My life is not about me. Any other way of thinking is nothing more than an illusion giving us a false sense of some control in our lives. Trusting God means to not be in control and instead of turning inward we take our eyes and we look outside our own personal problems. Life is all about love and love is everything to do with God. Love has everything to do with giving of your self to others and is never about self-seeking…love has everything to do with God whose message has always been that we are created to be a gift to one another and in doing so we love God perfectly. Life is a great plan that was laid out well before the universe was created. Nothing was randomly thrown together and everything has a purpose for being here. Everyone may not be the most important but everyone is important and equal in the eyes of God. Whenever our rights take away another persons right there is a grave injustice and a deep lie going on. When ever we take away another innocent person’s life we are not in anyway playing a role as martyr or hero.

Life is hard and why is that we feel we should be exempt from the troubles of life? What makes us different? We are all going to die, that’s a fact. We all have been given the same amount of time as another but the difference is how you live out your life that defines you as a person. Nothing this world has to offer will bring authentic joy and peace. There is no liberty when we enslave ourselves to our passions. There is no justice when we live our lives for ourselves. When Christ stood before the soldiers and allowed himself to be bruised, humiliated and eventually murdered he did so because he saw the bigger picture and it was worth dieing for. You are wroth dieing for. I am worth dieing for. The prostitute on the street and the drug pusher in the back ally is worth dieing for…but often we can’t see it because we aren’t looking through the eyes of God but instead are looking through the lenses of society’s deceptions, that lie which teaches us that we have control.