Belief

Belief-- John Mayer

Is there anyone who ever remembers

Changing their mind from the paint on a sign?

Is there anyone who really recalls

Ever breaking rank at all for something someone yelled real loud one time

Everyone believes

In how they think it ought to be

Everyone believes

And they're not going easily

Belief is a beautiful armor

But makes for the heaviest sword

Like punching under water

You never can hit who you're trying for

Some need the exhibition

And some have to know they tried

It's the chemical weapon for the war that's raging on inside

Everyone believes

From emptiness to everything

Everyone believes

And no one's going quietly

We're never gonna win the world

We're never gonna stop the war

We're never gonna beat this

If belief is what we're fighting for

What puts a hundred thousand children in the sand?

Belief can

Belief can

What puts the folded flag inside his mother's hand

Belief can 

Belief can

Belief is a powerful thing. Everyone has some sort of belief--  something they devote their lives to and work passionately to promote. Just as John Mayer wisely states, "everyone believes, from emptiness to everything." There is that college student, free from his parents and their strict religious judgementalism that has scarred him from childhood, who chooses to strive to cleanse himself of all traces of religion or belief in anything-- he still believes. He believes in the absence of faith, the absence of a higher power. He defends it with lists of reasons why and logical explanations, and will fight to the death to defend his emptiness. On the opposite end are the superstitious, who believe in everything from karma to guardian angels to vampires. They cling to everything they can possibly believe in at the same time, grasping for something of true meaning. When one belief fails them, they can fall back on another. There are those who place their beliefs in religious rituals and traditions, a nation, or a leader. Belief. 

What is interesting to me is the passion that is involved with each kind of belief. As the end of the song says, "what puts a hundred thousand children in the sand? Belief can." Wars have been waged, murders committed, and millions of dollars have been spent on beliefs. Huge cathedrals, mosques, and temples have been erected. Monuments. Terrorism. Cults. Countries.

 

If you think about it really, all of these things were spurred on by some sort of belief. 

And no one is budging. To think that we take so lightly trying to change others' beliefs by apologetics and arguing is beyond me. If a stranger came up to me attacking my beliefs and telling me everything I had believed my entire life was worthless, I would probably be a little offended. 

So what is so appealing about what I believe? What about Jesus is different? What gives me the right to claim that out of all the beliefs out there, mine is the one that trumps all? How can we evangelize without attacking the precious beliefs of others? 

Certainly not by "the paint of a sign" or yelling and screaming. No. 

These questions are what my life is centered around. These questions cannot be answered with logic, formulas, the Romans road, or the ABC's of being a Christian. These questions are only answerable through LOVE. Love is the only thing that separates my belief from others. Love is what makes it so appealing, so easily shared. Love is the only way our message can be effectively given to others. 

Belief is an armor. A sword. A chemical weapon. Justification. 

Love melts the armor, breaks the sword, neutralizes the chemical, exposes the truth. 

"Here's another old saying that deserves a second look: 'Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.' Is that going to get us anywhere? Here's what I propose: 'Don't hit back at all.' If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously."

--Jesus. (Matt. 5:38-42 Msg)

"When Jesus was eating supper at Matthew's house with his close followers, a lot of disreputable characters came and joined them. When the Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus' followers. 'What kind of example is this from your teacher, acting cozy with crooks and riffraff?' Jesus, overhearing, shot back, 'Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this Scripture means: 'I'm after mercy, not religion.' I'm here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders."

-- Matt. 9:10-13 Msg

"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!" 

--Isaiah 52:7

"When that day comes," says the Lord, "you will call me 'my husband' instead of 'my master.' O Israel, I will wipe the many names of Baal from your lips, and you will never mention them again. On that day I will make a covenant with all the wild animals and the birds of the sky and the animals that scurry along the ground so they will not harm you. I will remove all weapons of war from the land, all swords and bows, so you can live unafraid in peace and safety. I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion. I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as the Lord."

--Hosea 2:16-20

THAT God is Love. THAT God is the reason I believe. 

A Glimpse...

I love being the oldest.

I have a good number of siblings-- 3 at my moms, Kelli (14 going on 26), Haley (12 going on 17), and Jeffrey (10... he's a boy; no drama). Then I have Katie, who's also 12, at my dad's. It's really interesting going from living with one other person who I'm not responsible for to living with 5 other people! For those who don't know, my mom just got married, and this is the first time all of us have lived under the same roof. Surprisingly, there wasn't really a big adjustment. I absolutely love it, although it gets stressful at times with a two teenage girls and a typical 10 year old little brother (farts and teases fully included) all picking at each other, fighting over the computer, and constantly leaving a trail of half-full Coke cans and other miscellaneous trash behind them! I don't see how my mom does it. She's amazing. 

The positive side of all these kids is the wonderful benefits that come with all of them! There is nothing that can possibly compare to the feeling of unconditional love and acceptance that only a child can bring. When I walked in the door the first night I was home, Haley and Jeffrey met me before I could even put all of my stuff down with huge hugs and screams of joy-- what a neat feeling to know that someone is that excited to see you! I can only imagine how a mom feels when she picks her kids up from school, hearing "Mommy! Mommy!" and watching her child's face instantly brighten when she comes into view. That love is so unconditional, so pure and forgiving. 

I absolutely love the time I get to spend with my siblings. My parents had to go to a work Christmas party tonight, and we have just been hanging out. The cool thing about having preteen/teenage younger siblings is that they honestly are more like friends than anything to me. Kelli and I have long chats and watch Law and Order together, Haley and I love to dance and sing together, Katie and I play games and watch movies, and Jeffrey loves to tell me all about hunting and wrestling and teaches me how to play video games. Sounds like a big party to me. :) 

On a Jesus note, I finished a book I've been reading for a while; The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren. It was really thought-provoking; he's more of an English scholar than a theologian (although he definitely does his research), and I really enjoyed the way he wrote as well as what he wrote. It was all about the kingdom of God-- what exactly did Jesus mean when he said, "Your kingdom come, your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven" and all of the other kingdom references throughout Jesus' teachings? I think the main point I got from it was that the kingdom is at hand... it's here now. I feel like so many times we're just waiting on God to "come back" and rescue us from this fallen world, when in actuality God is calling us to make an effort to fix it. It was so encouraging to see so many of the questions I've had written down and confronted, and I really learned a lot, mainly that this world isn't beyond fixing. We have to work tirelessly to do just what that famous prayer says, to allow God's kingdom to come, and his will for his kingdom, which encompasses all of us, to be done here on Earth as it is in Heaven. If we think like our unconventional, radical, revolutionary Jesus, perhaps we can really make not just a difference in this world, but a whole different world! 

Home!

So I'm back in Pike County! It's always funny coming back and seeing how many things have changed, and even more often, how many things have stayed the same! I dragged Trey around all day today- to my high school (gah yes, I'm that kid that still goes to see teachers... dork), to the vet clinic where I worked, and to two of my favorite restaurants! I love showing people where I grew up! While I do love it, I'm really glad I was able to get out and come to Auburn. Living in such a small town creates such a small world view and I'm so so so glad I have been given the opportunity to obtain an "education;" not just the one I pay for, but also the one I get just from being around such a diverse group of people in such a small area. College is a breeding ground for not only obtaining knowledge, but accumulating wisdom as well. Don't ever lose sight of that. Yes, we are here to get an education, but as this really interesting professor I met at Gnu's Room said, "College has become job training-- no one really cares about just learning anymore." So go grab a book you're not assigned to read, take a walk on a road you've never been on, have a chat with someone different than you, and then you'll really learn something! 

I should be studying or sleeping!

My last night in Auburn in 2008! 

I have two exams tomorrow- sociology and ethics. I think I should have studied more, but alas, I apparently think studying is overrated? Hopefully I will do well enough to keep my current grade in those classes... 

I have had some really great conversations this week. I have some of the most eccentric, thought-provoking friends and I am so grateful for them, especially during this time in my life. I love a good conversation about religion, socialism, education, or just about life in general while sitting at Gnu's drinking a fantastic cup of coffee (or at Insomnia over a delicious hookah... whatever!), or enjoying dinner with a good friend, or pondering life and dreams and God with that great guy I hang out with, or sleepovers with great friends, old and new... there's nothing better, and I couldn't ask for more. I love college. 

I'm hitting the hay. We'll see how long I keep up this blogging thing. 

By the way. Read some Jesus and some Henry David Thoreau. Simplify your life. Love people. Be happy. Visit another country. Make the world better. Gosh I think I might be a hippie.