Observation: After being accused of speaking against the Temple and Jewish religious laws in Jerusalem, Stephen, a Jewish Christian, begins telling the whole story of God's people, beginning with Abraham. What I notice about Stephen's retelling is a small detail not mentioned in the book of Genesis. In both versions, God promises the land that will become Israel to Abraham and his descendants, but in Stephen's version, God also forewarns Abraham that his descendants will spend four hundred years as resident aliens and slaves in Egypt before they return to inherit the Promised Land. Wow. Kind of makes me wonder whether hearing about this part of the story would make Abraham doubtful about making a covenant with God. Even though there is the promise that they will eventually dwell as free people in the land, that's a pretty dark cloud on the horizon.
Application: A common question I think about when looking back on my life is, "If I had known a few years ago what I know now, would I have made the same choices?" Especially when we look back on difficult times in our lives, it's hard not to speculate. Are we better off for having gone through the trails we never could have predicted? Is it really true that "whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger"?
I'm of two minds on this. On the one hand, I think it can be really harmful, especially when someone has gone through something traumatic, to tell them, "It was all part of God's plan. It had to be this way." That discounts the pain and brokenness too many people experience. I would never dream of telling someone who has experienced something like domestic violence, sexual assault, murder, family separation, or other trauma that this was somehow destined or necessary. I could never worship a God who would intentionally put us through things like that.
On the other hand, I do believe in the theology of the cross, which tells us that God's presence can be found and experienced profoundly even in the depths of our pain and suffering. The Christian community is formed and marked by a symbol of God's entering into even the worst moments of human cruelty and showing love for us there. I do not believe every bad thing that happens is a necessary part of our story, but I do believe that because our world is twisted and fallen, and bad things do happen, God can turn those bad things into instruments of healing. Even though there was nothing "necessary" about the Israelites' period of slavery in Egypt, God did use that period of slavery to mark God's people with compassion forever, and codify that compassion into religious law, that they are never to mistreat foreigners in their own land the way they were mistreated.
No trauma should ever be viewed as necessary, and no evil and injustice should ever be seen as inevitable. To say it ever is only opens the door to justifying horrific atrocities. But since we can't go back and change the past, God's healing touch can transform our stories and our souls, to allow for healing, justice and compassion in the future.
Prayer: God, transform our stories. Bring healing from that which is broken, and give us repentance so that which is healed may not be broken yet again. Amen.
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