It Was Time

Confused. Fearful. Selfish. Lost.

He gazes upon humanity, and sighs. They had always been this way. They had routinely disappointed each other, themselves, and him.

For centuries he had laid the groundwork for their chance for transformation. A few were open to a newer truth that would be a breakthrough.

Most had seen God as a distant deity that had to be appeased. It had been God’s plan to live and walk and work among them, experiencing life with them. To prove he was serious, he would come as a baby.

Most have believed they could only gain God’s favor by following long lists of strict rules, to the letter of the Law. Now that most people realized this was impossible, it was time to introduce them to grace.

Most thought they could only be happy by acquiring wealth and land and power and status, temporary trinkets out of the reach of most of them. The Lord needed to help them discover treasures they could never lose, true wealth that could give them a deeper satisfaction than they could have imagined.

Most were aware of their sins, actions and attitudes that hurt each other, and damaged their relationship with him. God knew he could help them see beyond the prisons they had chosen, and set them free.

Most had lost hope, resigned to accepting the depressing world into which they were born, repressed by a fatalistic outlook that gave them no reason to think their lives could improve. But the God of Hope had a surprise for them, a life that looked beyond the temporary heartaches, and into a different future.

Now that the time was right, he arrived in a small town outside the capitol, into a family of common people, meant to grow up with common people. While the path was rich with symbolic meaning, at first glance it had the appearance of being thoroughly ordinary.

Yet those with vision could see something else, the beginning chapter of the climax of human history.

It was time.

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Dave Soucie lives, serves and writes in Indianapolis.

Copyright © 2022 by Dave Soucie.  All rights reserved [but permission is granted for non-commercial use only, with proper citation].

We’ve Done This To Ourselves

Trigger warning: I’m about to upset some of you.

It’s an alarming list. We are all tired of hearing reports of one mass shooting after another. Addiction and overdose rates are devastating families and communities. Politics have become polarized as those at each extreme demonize the other side. Sexual violence and exploitation ruin countless lives.

We feel the gut punch. We shake our heads. We take a deep breath and move on because this madness has become so commonplace, we might have become desensitized to what was once devastating.

It’s true that there have always been problems. Almost 2,000 years ago the Apostle Paul wrote “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” [Romans 3:23]. Everyone is messed up in some way.

Because of modern media we’ve become more aware of how bad people can be worldwide. This problem is nothing new.

What is frequently ignored is that the number one solution is also nothing new. And here’s where some of you will become upset.  I dare you to keep reading.

Without a respect for a time tested moral code, acknowledging an absolute truth, there is no hope for improvement. In fact, the more people choose to pretend it’s okay to make up their own rules, the worse things will get.

This is one consequence of the current dead-end Postmodernism philosophy. Look it up.  This mind set is now so common place, many don’t realize they have swallowed it whole. It is the world view that has become the default way of looking at personal choices and behavior.

Where can we find a worthy guide for life? It can’t be man-made, because unless someone is all knowing, they will get it wrong. We need to look beyond flawed humanity to find a source that is more knowing, caring, and wise. A source that has provided the solution for billions who have fully trusted him. A benevolent guide who is the only one capable of seeing the whole picture, understanding what is necessary, knowing what is best, and is willing to sacrifice himself to prove he is worthy.

I speak of God.

If you are one of those who have a negative impression of him, you have been misinformed and/or misled and/or manipulated by those who cannot tolerate the notion of a divine being who is superior.  Their attitude betrays their insecurities. 

There will never be a completed solution to this problem as long as humanity remains. Yet it can get better.

The more people fail to take him seriously the worst things will become. 

The more people give him a chance to truly touch their hearts, lives can and will be transformed.

I am an eyewitness to both outcomes.

——————

Dave Soucie lives, serves and writes in Indianapolis.

Copyright © 2022 by Dave Soucie.  All rights reserved [but permission is granted for non-commercial use only, with proper citation].