Jonathan Switzer: Living in a Big Boy World

My youngest son Peter always wants to do what his three older brothers are doing.  If they go to friend’s houses, he wants to go.  If they go to play in the creek, he wants to go.  If they are riding their bikes or playing in the field across the street, he wants to join.  But that is a problem… much of the time, he simply is not yet ready to keep up.  At some point he realizes that they are too fast for him and, frustrated, he comes back to Mommy and Daddy.

Revelation is the topic at our church these days.  We should notice something.  Depending on how one studies the book it could either produce significant anxiety or a sense of sober, joyful expectancy.  According to Revelation, things are going to get really bad.

Revelation simply turns on the light about the end times.  Yet, turning on the light about how bad things will get could either lead to anxiety and fear or a settled trust in the Lord.

These are the two responses to end times that I would like to contrast: Perfectionism and Truth.  Perfectionism is when we see things wrong and take personally responsibility to make things right.  It can lead to an over anxious fear of not being perfect; as if everything depends on my perfection and ability.  It can suck the life out of people and leave them exhausted, exasperated and hopeless.  It beats a person up with legalism.

Like Peter, my son, the perfectionist must, at some point, admit he just can’t keep up.

Living by the truth is different.  Truth, like perfectionism, also turns on the light.  It exposes how bad things are.  However, a person of truth (as the bible defines it) does not get anxious and strive for perfection.  Instead, he goes to the cross and admits that sin has the world in bondage.  He lets the light shine and admits his need for help.  Truth leads to the cross of Jesus Christ.  It recognizes that we have not only missed the mark but that without help we are incapable of hitting it.  Through Christ’s resurrection power we hunger for righteousness and are filled.

Perfectionism
When Peter is playing legos with his brothers, it usually leads to some consternation.  His brothers, one a full six and a half years older, are able to make very complex and cool space ships, cars and landing pads.  They create without breaking a sweat.  Sometimes, Peter can start feeling like he will never be as good as they are.  Mom and Dad pick up his frustration from the other room as he gets whiney and weepy.  Sometimes, he will even start lying to his brothers about what he can do.  Then, maybe he will lash out at them and hit them for correcting him about something.  Patiently, Mom and Dad are training him to rest in God’s love and do right.

Perfectionism only turns on the light about how far we missed the mark.  It deceives us.  It conveniently (or savagely) ignores the fact that we are incapable of fixing our mess.  It is very similar to the news media, either on the right or the left.  Both tend to share the story from their side’s perspective.  They conveniently leave out facts that might soften the story’s finger pointing.  They are crafty.  Yet, they act like they show the full truth.

In the same way perfectionism only highlights how far we miss the mark.  It cruelly leaves out the part that we could never fix the mess we’ve made.  It deceives through partial truth.

You see, pride and insecurity are opposite sides of the same coin.  When we become overly perfectionist, it leads to fear and insecurity about the future.  All of which, leads us to think we should be able to fix our own problems.  At which point, the fear coin flips over and reveals the arrogant pride lying underneath: we should try to fix this all by ourselves!  Then, we lash out in immaturity and selfishness.

Remember, when we die to the flesh, to the old man, we are resurrected with Christ.  In that case it is no longer us who lives but it is Christ living in us.  The emphasis on the daily cross is an emphasis on a daily exchanged life; Christ living in us.

Only the Strong Survive?
The wii is another area where Peter struggles to keep up.  His brothers, naturally understand games faster, or have simply played longer.  They almost always finish way before he does or are several levels beyond him.  We have taught his brothers to cheer him on when they finish and help him along.  Nevertheless, they are still learning to consistently do so and can get impatient.  Again, Peter can suddenly start crying saying things like, “I just can’t do it!”  Or again, he will yell at his brothers for not waiting for him or helping him.  Again, Mom and Dad step in to patiently teach Peter to be at peace and his brothers to share and help.

There is a big difference between an evolutionary approach to life versus a Christian approach.  Evolution teaches survival of the fittest.  To which, there is some truth.  For example, righteousness alone will ultimately survive.  In that sense, only the fittest will survive; Christ and those who follow Him.

But, that is the point: weakness versus strength is not the whole story.  The rest of the story is that Christ came to the weak, poor, orphan and widow to save, redeem and strengthen them.  So, yes, first, we need to live according to what is most likely to survive; i.e. righteousness.  But, then righteousness must be balanced with our inability to be righteous; our need of a savior.

Nevertheless, evolutionists think we are on our own and must fix everything ourselves.  They see industrialism destroying the environment and they think like an evolutionist. Anxiously they say, “We must stop all drilling and imposes major controls!”  The fear leads to arrogant over-control and sucks the life out of economies leading to greater poverty and weakness.  In the same way, an evolutionist sees endangered species and begins to fear.  Anxiety leads to obsessive, one-issue only shame tactics attempting societal change; like unnecessary restraints on ANWAR drilling.  They do the same with poverty and wealth.  They see the disparities and anxiously try to equalize things with bad, unsecured loans.  In each case, the fear leads to hasty, over-obsessive, control efforts to fix what man cannot fix.  They see health care disparities and impose consistently failed utopian dreams.

Unfortunately, right-wing unbelievers also do the insecurity/pride flip routine.  They see controls placed on business and their liberty-cry can carry an arrogant disregard for honesty, integrity and morality.  They deny that sexual immorality causes a nation’s slide into corruption.  After all, sex sells!  Further, they miss the connection between abortion, disregard for human life and Wall Street/Big business bowling over the “little guy” in the name of profits.  Greed has the potential to become almost a virtue.  Their anxiety brings an irrational push for complete freedom from all restraints.

In this sense, the right and the left both share responsibility for our current pre-apocalyptic economic and political situation.  Christians must prophetically speak to both.  We need Christ to turn on the light.  Otherwise, the anxieties of unbelievers will drive them inevitably into not just extreme verbal conflict with one another but, according to scripture, into armed conflicts as well.

Then come apocalypses like the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 or modern Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia.  Certainly, today, North Korea, Venezuela, Israel and Iran all threaten to explode at any moment.  Here in the USA, political discourse has turned very bitter and news media wars threaten to stir passions beyond civility about tea-parties, taxes, race and justice.

Living by the Truth

Mom and Dad have learned to talk with Peter regularly.  We say, “Peter, you are four years old aren’t you!”  He smiles back and says, “Yes, I am, I really am!”  Then, mother says, “Do you know that your three older brothers were all four years old one time?”  Peter eyes start moving back and forth as he thinks about his older brothers being his age.  Dad speaks up and says, “Do you know that when your brothers were your age, they played legos just like you do?  For a four year old, you are doing a great job!”  Peter starts to get it and confidently says, “Yeah, When I am 6 I will be able to make lego spaceships that fly really fast and go way up into space!”  Mom and Dad smile encouragingly and Mom says, “You are a great four year old and when you turn six you will be the greatest six year old we know!”

Anxiety is the ruling passion behind perfectionism.  Living by the truth is different.  It turns on the light but also recognizes that alone we are incapable of fixing our situation.  Therefore, the truth person chooses to go to God asking for His help and wisdom.  He chooses to simply be obedient to God’s commands trusting God to take care of the rest.  He recognizes that there is only so much that a man can do.  He remembers the example of great men of faith like Moses, Joshua, David and Daniel.

Faith and rest are the ruling passions behind truth.

Not Complacency or Compromise
Note that Faith and rest are NOT equal to complacency and compromise.  Though, there are many who would say so.  They say we should be as driven as they are.

Instead, the truth turns on the light, acknowledges the failures and then obeys God.  Such simple obedience is very proactive.  There is no better way to handle a situation than to obey the Lord.  When counseling, I often say, “I have no hope for this situation unless we do it God’s way.”  Faith leads to diligent obedience.  Then, God keeps His promises to show us favor.

So, when we look at the failing economies around the world, when we see the moral decay and corruption rampant in business, society and politics, we need not choose fear and anxiety.

This is the reason for Jesus’ Revelation to John and the Olivet discourse.  Jesus turned on the light about how bad things were and are going to get.  However, when he turned on the light he fully turned it on.  He was clear about how limited are our change efforts.  Further, He was clear about God’s direct role opening the seals and overseeing the blowing of trumpets and pouring out the bowls of wrath.

Obedience and Patience Endurance
He was also clear about our role.

Peter is just now in the process of learning to read.  Just the other day he learned to read the word STOP.  So, of course, now, we always point it out on the road signs around town.  However, he is not so sure that he likes to practice reading.  When Dad says its time to read, he says, “Do I have to?  I don’t want to read now.”  But, then he perks up remembering that he gets some smarties for every page of reading he does.  He will quickly go and get his book and say, “Okay, daddy, where are we?  Let’s do this page!”

When the apocalypse happens, we too are to simply obey and endure patiently.  That means we are to go on preaching the gospel to all nations, making disciples, loving our neighbor as ourselves, taking care of the poor, orphan and widow and growing in our understanding of God’s love toward us in Christ Jesus.  We are to go on taking up our cross daily, putting off the old and putting on Christ.  We are to forcefully advance the Kingdom through faithful integrity and meek endurance.

God will be taking care of the rest.  He will bring down the beastly greed and power driven governments.  He will bring down the greedy, immoral harlot business structures.  He will judge the nations.  He will use the simple obedience of His saints to expose the wicked tyrants and their followers.  He will use the simple obedience of His saints to confound the world’s wisdom.  He will improve the environment, propagate animal species and provide for the poor.  He will cause the meek to inherit the earth.

Summary
So, as we face world-wide financial break down and pervasive political unrest, let Christ’s Revelation to John turn on the light.  Like Peter my son, we are not able to keep up with the “big boys” (God, Satan, Beasts and angels).  But let us not get anxious.  His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  We need not be perfect.  Rather, let’s reject anxiety.  Let’s reject fear which leads to arrogant, misguided efforts to fix the mess.  We are in way over our heads here.

Let’s embrace the cross and admit our failure and weakness.  Let’s put off the old man and put on the new.  Let Christ now live in us with resurrection power.  In Christ, we are overcomers!  Then let us trust God to do what he promised in Revelation, powerfully judge the wicked and faithfully bless those who trust Christ.

One day, Peter will stand shoulder to shoulder with his brothers in sports, business and life!  Today, he already does so in his parent’s hearts.