Revealing
Since there has been a defined world, someone has been talking about the end of it. Those that organize under a Christian worldview have been particularly guilty. Planning of the impending inevitability of that end has had some pretty horrendous outcomes. Do I need to remind anyone of Jim Jones, David Koresh, or the Heaven’s Gate whack-jobs?!
But this all introduces an important tension we must all manage.
Paul told us that we won’t know the hour or the day. We should all just pretty much live each day as if it is our last.
Jesus chastised the religious leaders of his day for not interpreting the times of what was going on around them.
Should we live with a clear interpretation of the lateness of the hour or just aggressively live every day with the understanding that we may not have any others? I think the answer is both, but maybe not in a way you might think.
The bible talks extensively about an “apocalypse”. This is a destruction of the world and things as they seem to be playing out, in order to set the stage for the restoration of all things. A coming and an establishing of things as they are intended to be. The pages of the revelation can read pretty harrowing.
But there is another term rooted in the other, “apocalypsis”, that points to another interpretation of how we should live. It is more thoughtful, contemplative, and maybe, more actionable.
You would have to live in a cave (with no wifi!) in order not to feel the vagaries of the times we are in. Unrest of every kind (racial, economic, etc.), human trafficking, wealth distribution, disease, poverty, etc. I could spend all five-hundred of my allocated words here just making a list.
As a very descriptive friend of mine says, “It is a real $#&! show out there.”
The value, and maybe the greatest opportunity for a change I am finding, is rooted in apocalypsis. I do think we need to be paying attention to the times. We should be on watch for the culmination of all things as the bible challenged us to be aware of, but if that doesn’t translate to living different, we have sort of missed the point.
The question I am asking friends, families, and clients has to do what is being revealed or newly disclosed through this season. The simple answer is that an enormous amount is being revealed. And it is unique and powerful for change for all of us. If I am really honest with myself, some of what has been revealed is really beautiful and some is very hard.
But all of it is the pathway to tremendous opportunity for change and alignment with our God. He is always in the business of revealing for the sake of our continued restoration. Times like this just seem to have us in a better position to be open to that.
It should bring up some valuable questions….
Consider
What has been revealed in your life, family, or company?
What things do you need to deal with as a result?
What understanding of a healthier or better life you’ve found needs to be memorialized and kept when things “get back to normal”?