Reference Passage:
Ruth chapter 2 - Read it here
Do pray for grace and understanding before you proceed.
Our leading ladies walked into Bethlehem, literally translated “the city of Bread”, at the beginning of the barley harvest. As is characteristic of closely-knit communities, Naomi and her companion became the talk of the town. To all the excitement around her, Naomi responded on a sour note - "Don't call me Naomi, " she told them. "Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me." Does Solomon's proverb in Proverbs 19:3 - A man's own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the LORD – apply to Naomi's case? I wonder.
Henceforth, my thoughts will divide into 2 parallel strands as I draw insights into our search for God, meaning and redemption, so many centuries after Ruth's own journey.
Soon, Ruth decided that it was time to go out in search of food. She knew that she had to depend on someone's mercy for this – as we remember, Naomi had no fields of her own. Yet, I find it significant that she carried no attitude whatsoever as it wouldn't be surprising for traditional enemies to find each other repulsive. As Indians, whether we admit it or not, there's something that bothers us each time 'Pakistan' is mentioned. That's just one example of the many things we silently loathe in the secrecy and privacy of our minds. However, Ruth maintains a steady posture of humility throughout.
We might often pride ourselves on the fact that we're born into a Christian family and feel we're somehow automatically destined for heaven. There are so many distressing thoughts that pop up from time to time, yet we choose to press them all into a forsaken corner, hoping that we may never have to deal with them. Is God real? No one has seen Him after all. Could Jesus Christ be the only true God? What about all the others? Maybe they're all the same, just named differently according to man's convenience. Besides, isn't God just a concept that human beings rely upon for comfort? What about all the evil that has been perpetrated in the name of God? On top of it all, how could there ever be a good God when there's so much of evil and suffering in the world?
Hence, we struggle, back and forth, in our minds and at the end of the day, we're not really sure whether we'll make it to the Promised Land or more importantly, whether we really want to be there. Some of us reach the conclusion that these questions may never have an answer and so choose to hide behind them and embrace atheistic and agnostic world views. Some of us make up our own answers and hold on to them all our lives.
I found out that each of these questions have a meaningful answer; however, what is more important is our attitude to them. In fact, each of these betray a vital longing that arises from our innermost being – a desire for meaning in life. In that case, can you and I dictate our own meaning for our existence, a self defined purpose? May I reiterate what I wrote in the previous article: if the Universe is ultimately meaningless and void of any external input of intelligence whatsoever, all of us are just saying that with all of our Science and Technology, we're making sense out of nonsense. Isn't' that ridiculous? We attempt to make sense of things because there is sense to be made.
So then, if meaning does exist and is not to be decided within ourselves, and our search points to Someone who externally acts as a point of reference for all extant meaning, don't you think our perspective and attitude needs a humbling? A humbling that arises due to circumstances similar to Ruth's – for the fact that we, like Ruth, have to fall upon someone's mercy? Do we have a sincerity to tell that Someone our blindness? A confession that makes it plain “I don't know”?
Now, Ruth happened to come by a certain field. None of us know the hows or whats or whys, but it happened and I praise God, it did. This happened to be a field like no other and once there, she never left.
Fast forwarding to the New Testament, Apostle Paul reveals that the Church is God's field (1 Corinthians 3:9). The mention of the word 'Church' conjures up different mental images in our minds. Probably, a grand building with ancient paintings comes to mind. On the other hand, some people contend that wherever Christians gather for worship, is the Church. To my mind, all that's in line with the Class 6 Moral Science textbook, but a far cry from God's own idea. Look at what Apostle Paul says in his first letter to the Corinthians - “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (3:16) It almost sounds as if he were pointing to each of us and asking the same today. Its perfectly possible to be associated with a building and yet be miles away from the reality of this verse. Your name might be in the register of a local Church building but if you haven't become the temple of God where the Spirit of God chooses to dwell, I assure you, you're not a part of God's church.
Please read the first 3 chapters of 1 Corinthians and try to get a clearer view of God's perspective of the Church. In my own life, understanding this unique perspective was no easy thing to grapple with for it exposes my ignorance and cuts into my prejudices. Its so easy to deny the reality and live carefree. In spite of this, the call that grips me resounds time and again in the Holy Writ - “Let My people humble themselves.” (Refer 2 Chronicles 7:13-15, 2 Samuel 22:28, 2 Kings 22:19, 2 Chronicles 12:7, 34:27, Ezra 8:21)
Understandably, we may raise the question as to why such a humbling becomes necessary. Evidently, each of the above, besides many more, discovered the harsh reality that the Lord of heaven and earth, is no Santa Claus. He is a Righteous Judge and He is a consuming fire (Psalm 7:11, Hebrews 12:29).
Can you imagine how different our classrooms would be if the students could realise their own limitations before criticising their teachers? I'm not suggesting that our teachers are always right - rather the point is, we tend to get carried away in our judgemental attitudes that we fail to give the teacher or the subject, the respect due unto them. Eventually, we become convinced that we know better than them all and that is where we indeed become unteachable. Our demands then need to take the backseat and an eagerness to learn should cause us to hold on to every precious drop of information that may come our way. Is our spiritual life any different? I think not. We ought to ask ourselves if we are indeed good listeners and learners, that God may instruct us in His ways.
In the face of yet unknown realities, let not our puny intelligence and grand calculations hold us back from a sincere expression of humility in the presence of the One who is Omniscient - All Knowing. Then, may that humility be woven into the very fabric of our hearts to diffuse into every area of our lives and not merely sit on our lips, lifeless.
Ruth chapter 2 - Read it here
Do pray for grace and understanding before you proceed.
Our leading ladies walked into Bethlehem, literally translated “the city of Bread”, at the beginning of the barley harvest. As is characteristic of closely-knit communities, Naomi and her companion became the talk of the town. To all the excitement around her, Naomi responded on a sour note - "Don't call me Naomi, " she told them. "Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me." Does Solomon's proverb in Proverbs 19:3 - A man's own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the LORD – apply to Naomi's case? I wonder.
Henceforth, my thoughts will divide into 2 parallel strands as I draw insights into our search for God, meaning and redemption, so many centuries after Ruth's own journey.
Soon, Ruth decided that it was time to go out in search of food. She knew that she had to depend on someone's mercy for this – as we remember, Naomi had no fields of her own. Yet, I find it significant that she carried no attitude whatsoever as it wouldn't be surprising for traditional enemies to find each other repulsive. As Indians, whether we admit it or not, there's something that bothers us each time 'Pakistan' is mentioned. That's just one example of the many things we silently loathe in the secrecy and privacy of our minds. However, Ruth maintains a steady posture of humility throughout.
We might often pride ourselves on the fact that we're born into a Christian family and feel we're somehow automatically destined for heaven. There are so many distressing thoughts that pop up from time to time, yet we choose to press them all into a forsaken corner, hoping that we may never have to deal with them. Is God real? No one has seen Him after all. Could Jesus Christ be the only true God? What about all the others? Maybe they're all the same, just named differently according to man's convenience. Besides, isn't God just a concept that human beings rely upon for comfort? What about all the evil that has been perpetrated in the name of God? On top of it all, how could there ever be a good God when there's so much of evil and suffering in the world?
Hence, we struggle, back and forth, in our minds and at the end of the day, we're not really sure whether we'll make it to the Promised Land or more importantly, whether we really want to be there. Some of us reach the conclusion that these questions may never have an answer and so choose to hide behind them and embrace atheistic and agnostic world views. Some of us make up our own answers and hold on to them all our lives.
I found out that each of these questions have a meaningful answer; however, what is more important is our attitude to them. In fact, each of these betray a vital longing that arises from our innermost being – a desire for meaning in life. In that case, can you and I dictate our own meaning for our existence, a self defined purpose? May I reiterate what I wrote in the previous article: if the Universe is ultimately meaningless and void of any external input of intelligence whatsoever, all of us are just saying that with all of our Science and Technology, we're making sense out of nonsense. Isn't' that ridiculous? We attempt to make sense of things because there is sense to be made.
So then, if meaning does exist and is not to be decided within ourselves, and our search points to Someone who externally acts as a point of reference for all extant meaning, don't you think our perspective and attitude needs a humbling? A humbling that arises due to circumstances similar to Ruth's – for the fact that we, like Ruth, have to fall upon someone's mercy? Do we have a sincerity to tell that Someone our blindness? A confession that makes it plain “I don't know”?
Now, Ruth happened to come by a certain field. None of us know the hows or whats or whys, but it happened and I praise God, it did. This happened to be a field like no other and once there, she never left.
Fast forwarding to the New Testament, Apostle Paul reveals that the Church is God's field (1 Corinthians 3:9). The mention of the word 'Church' conjures up different mental images in our minds. Probably, a grand building with ancient paintings comes to mind. On the other hand, some people contend that wherever Christians gather for worship, is the Church. To my mind, all that's in line with the Class 6 Moral Science textbook, but a far cry from God's own idea. Look at what Apostle Paul says in his first letter to the Corinthians - “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (3:16) It almost sounds as if he were pointing to each of us and asking the same today. Its perfectly possible to be associated with a building and yet be miles away from the reality of this verse. Your name might be in the register of a local Church building but if you haven't become the temple of God where the Spirit of God chooses to dwell, I assure you, you're not a part of God's church.
Please read the first 3 chapters of 1 Corinthians and try to get a clearer view of God's perspective of the Church. In my own life, understanding this unique perspective was no easy thing to grapple with for it exposes my ignorance and cuts into my prejudices. Its so easy to deny the reality and live carefree. In spite of this, the call that grips me resounds time and again in the Holy Writ - “Let My people humble themselves.” (Refer 2 Chronicles 7:13-15, 2 Samuel 22:28, 2 Kings 22:19, 2 Chronicles 12:7, 34:27, Ezra 8:21)
Understandably, we may raise the question as to why such a humbling becomes necessary. Evidently, each of the above, besides many more, discovered the harsh reality that the Lord of heaven and earth, is no Santa Claus. He is a Righteous Judge and He is a consuming fire (Psalm 7:11, Hebrews 12:29).
Can you imagine how different our classrooms would be if the students could realise their own limitations before criticising their teachers? I'm not suggesting that our teachers are always right - rather the point is, we tend to get carried away in our judgemental attitudes that we fail to give the teacher or the subject, the respect due unto them. Eventually, we become convinced that we know better than them all and that is where we indeed become unteachable. Our demands then need to take the backseat and an eagerness to learn should cause us to hold on to every precious drop of information that may come our way. Is our spiritual life any different? I think not. We ought to ask ourselves if we are indeed good listeners and learners, that God may instruct us in His ways.
In the face of yet unknown realities, let not our puny intelligence and grand calculations hold us back from a sincere expression of humility in the presence of the One who is Omniscient - All Knowing. Then, may that humility be woven into the very fabric of our hearts to diffuse into every area of our lives and not merely sit on our lips, lifeless.
To be continued...
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