Contents:
RIGHT NOW... SOMEONE
TITANIC VESPERS
FORGIVE AND FORGET
PROPERTY
THE CUSTOMS AT CUSTOMS
PARTING WORDS
Hi, everybody! It’s the end of another busy week, and an interesting
one. Monday I got up and felt quite miserable. I thought that
it might be dengue fever, but it only turned out to be some version of
the flu, I guess. It was gone by Tuesday. I was a little disappointed
– I was interested in seeing what dengue was like – sorta like I was interested
in experiencing a hurricane. I’ve outgrown the latter wish; maybe
I’ll outgrow the former, in time… In time…
I remember a few years ago, there was a video by the rock group Van Halen, called Right Now. And that video kinda touched me because as the group sang, across the screen would flow images and words… “Right now, someone has no food to eat” “Right now, someone wishes you would call”
Lately, I got the a forward full of statements along that line (again, available to anyone who hasn’t seen it yet, by simple request) and again it tugged at my heart, because it reminded me that at any given moment, there is someone who needs what only you can provide. And if we lose the opportunity that the present affords, there may not be another.
Which brings me to something I was listening to today, on the Azure
Hills Internet Ministry site,
http://ahim.lasierra.edu, a
RealAudio recording of a vesper service they had a few weeks back, Titanic
Vespers, where they discussed the spiritual lessons that could be learned
from the film. I found one particularly poignant. A young man
spoke about how, in the film, the people seemed so complacent for most
of the time, “like they were waiting for something to happen.” And
this made sense to me, since really, none of them were going anywhere –
they were just there to be able to say they were the first to ride the
big boat – and so they had nothing to do really, but pass the time… But
once the boat started to sink, the movie took on an incredible sense of
urgency, as all of a sudden, people discovered a purpose as their time
ticked away… some to find a place on a lifeboat, others to make peace with
themselves and their God.
The young man went on to notice a similarity with the church – that we as Christians are very complacent. We’re in a big boat, waiting for something to happen, and without much sense of urgency. But if we notice that we’re starting to sink, we might wake up and start to act with some direction.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, you may want to take a look out the window, for I want you to know that we are sinking. This world is just on a “valley slide to death” and if you can see the signs you’ll know it’s true. It’s no time to be complacent. It’s time to get up and get moving. There’s a world to save! I’m reminded of a song we used to sing as part of a play at my church, “Now is the Time”
There is a time for everything, and there is a season
God made a time for everything, and He had a reason
A time to laugh, and a time to cry
A time to be born, and a time to die
He made a time for everything, everything
Now is the time if you’re gonna love Him
Now is the time if you’re gonna serve Him
Let your soul reach out just now
Let your heart, let it make a vow
That NOW IS THE TIME to serve the Lord!
Right now, someone needs to hear the good news of salvation.
And in today’s news, a young lady, 26, was jailed for three weeks for contempt of court. Judge Herbert Volney sentenced the woman for refusing to testify against a police officer accused of extorting money from her in return for not arresting her brother. The woman, a born-again Christian, was advised to forgive and forget, and therefore to refrain from testifying. The Christian community spoke up against her stance.
What an interesting witness! There are those who are for this young lady, admiring her convictions. There are others who see her as somewhat fanatical, and given bad advice. My point of view: I admire her for staying by her convictions, but I don’t think that the principle upon which she stands is a firm one.
Forgiveness is for personal wrong. If you hurt me, and I forgive you, then I don’t hold against you what you did to me. It’s completely within my rights to forgive you for what you did to me. However, in this case, there has been a crime committed. Personal injuries are remedied in civil court, using tort law. Crimes against society, however, are remedied in criminal court, using criminal law. If someone has committed a crime against society by attempting to injure you, you may forgive them, and you still have an obligation to testify against that individual so that society may best deal with the actions which injured society. If you wish to plead on their behalf for mercy, that’s fine. But you cannot forgive an individual for the wrong done to society. And taking away society’s ability to find out the truth by refusing to testify is wronging society, which is why the judge found the woman in contempt of court.
But again, her conviction is that she should not testify, and I would
support her in upholding her convictions. That’s my point of view.
“Girl, you better control yo property!”
Now, what kind of thing is that??!! For those who may not understand the vernacular in which that phrase is written, property refers to the young man with whom the object of the imperative is associated. I don’t know how you feel about this, but I think it’s rather degrading to see GOD’S property spoken of in this way. No human being owns another, and perhaps this misconception in interpersonal relations leads to the kind of destructive and self-destructive jealousy that we see in our world today.
I believe that jealousy, in the way it is expressed here on earth, is a wholly unhealthy attitude that does untold damage to relationships. In the car on the way home one day, I listened to “Can’t Sleep” by R. Kelly, where he sang about how his girlfriend left him basically because he didn’t trust her in her relations with another man. And while infidelity in relationships is a major problem, the way to resolve it is not through jealousy.
This is my approach: unconditional love, which is the foundation of the freedom that God gives us to choose for or against Him. You may have heard the snippet of poem that says, “If you love something, set it free; if it returns, it’s yours forever, if not, it never was”. I firmly believe in that. If someone has chosen to be with me, it’s because they want to be, not because I hold up their commitment as a contract and compel them to honour it. Not because I set them as “my property” and fight off any threats like a prospector with a gold claim. Just as God draws us with His love, I would want to think that my partner is drawn to me by my love.
And just as I want to share my God with all around, and don’t try to keep Him bottled up for my personal use, I would want to share the one I love with others, knowing that in the freedom I give, they would live in such a way as to honour that freedom. That’s what trust is all about. Jealousy says, “I don’t trust you with others” or “I don’t trust others with you” And a lack of trust is a certain way to undermine the foundation of a relationship.
So I don’t support jealousy. Jealousy creates suspicion where nothing exists, accuses on the faintest hint of evidence, and places the interests of self above the interests of others. Love is the key. “Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love patiently accepts all things. It always trusts, always hopes, and always remains strong.” 1 Corinthians 13:5,7 NCV
And it doesn’t consider the objects of its affection, its property.
I was reminded this week, in conversation with a friend, of the experiences I’ve had with customs people. They started back when I was younger, travelling with my parents across the Canada-US border, instructed to say nothing. An interesting approach, I found, as a talkative youngster, but alas, that was the customs. As I grew, and as I became aware of what was going on around me, I discovered an interesting phenomenon with friends and family alike – a discarding of wrappers, a disguising of goods, all intended to give the impression of not-new goods, being taken across the border, to avoid paying “customs”: duty and taxes.
Since I’ve come to Trinidad, I’ve had to have several encounters with the customs people. And I’ve made a decision: never lie to customs. So, even though it might cost me a pretty penny, I declare what I’m travelling with. It just makes sense. First of all, it’s “render(ing) to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” (Matthew 22:21) and following Jesus’ example of paying taxes. Second of all, as one associated with the college, and a professed Christian, “how it go look”, if I’m found to be dealing less than honestly with the civil authorities. Thirdly, it is stealing, no matter how we twist it, and as one who loves my fellow man (and specifically those who live dependent on the government for sustenance) I don’t want to take from others what they need. Fourthly, why risk having your stuff confiscated?
But as I spoke with my friend, I was brought back to the importance
of honesty in dealing with people in this world. “He has showed you,
O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with you God.” (Micah
6:8)
So right now, someone needs to hear the words, “I love you and I care about you, and I’m praying for your needs.” And if that someone is you, you can be sure that I mean it. Have yourself a great week! Every week is great when God is in it!
And that’s my point of view.
Dave.