#1883 Neither Bending or Bowing

#1883

Neither Bending or Bowing

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.  (Hebrews 13:5)

This writer, doctor, world traveler, a man of warts, sinner saved by grace, knows that God has forgiven him but finds it so hard to forgive himself.  I must learn to look beyond, just as Jesus looked beyond the cruel cross-nails-Roman soldiers.

On one of my trips to the holy land, I was sitting beside the Dead Sea with an elderly couple from London.  We were sitting on some rocks munching on lunch.  The old man, looking at the Dead Sea and then looking up at Herod's Palace-Masada with tears streaming down his face said, "This is the trip of our lifetime."  His wife was a professor of languages, he, a diamond cutter.  He told me that he would often look at a stone for hours, even days before he made his cut.  The right cut of the stone and he would have a fortune precious stones.  The wrong cut and he would have nothing. 

In life, making the right decisions and "all is well"...wrong decision, and your life can be a disaster.  Oh, the importance of the hammer and chisel in learning how some of us "tick".  It is impossible to know another person without walking in their "moccasins or Gucci's" for a few days.  It is impossible to know another person without learning the baggage they carry around.  The mystery of all psychology, history of one man or a nation, why people behave as they do, those of us possessing faith (note possess not profess) act so surprised when sinners act like sinners.  Yet, too many of us run the race to dress-talk-imitate them.  The true test of the born again Christian is not to bend or bow to the insolence of the world.  We are a chosen people-royal priesthood (1Peter 2:9).  I am different from that Jewish couple from London, members of false religions, even the pretenders of my own Christian faith.

In social conversation, are you shocked when your own educated doctor uses curse words-foul language?  When your automobile mechanic uses curse words or foul language?  Why would you be shocked if your presidential candidate uses foul language?  SINNERS ACT LIKE SINNERS...education-money-political power has nothing to do with discourse and, too many God fearing-tax paying-hardworking Christians are indifferent to their fellow church members' mode of dress-language-discourse or decorum.  We just bend or bow and assume the position that "weak spines and lack of guts, wins friends and influences people" (to quote the famous Dale Carnegie).  You are shocked when your pastor-schoolteacher-politician uses bad language.  We feel we have lost chunks of our brain, listening to street talk...creatures from another planet.  This writer has walked the streets of every continent (passport stamped in 157 countries), I could not understand foreign languages, and neither can I understand languages on the streets of my city punctuated by profanity.  Every time I think of the taxes I pay to educate young people, to hear how they talk...much worse, to learn how they walk. 

Your writer matriculated in a small country school, 12 grades in one building, and 13 in my graduating class.  I so remember, our first film projector...a screen in the auditorium and those large reels.  The film would often break and the principal would have to stop and patch things...more amazing than patching a film, that the Creator God of the universe, the one who patched and put everything together, somethingness from nothingness, would actually write a book...THE ANSWER BOOK.  I was raised in a home-community-country where it was easy to "look beyond", know the right path to take.  It was always, "What would Jesus do?"  Look at the book.  Like the old projector film, the grace of God flows...lifestyle-vocations-discipleship-citizenship.  Christianity established the boundary lines-measuring rod for everyone...even unbelievers, atheists and those who judge and measure everyone. 

In human physiology, the fibril of a muscle, when stimulated, either responds 100% or not at all, this is called the all-or-none law.  In crossing a canyon or even a big ditch, it is much better to cross with one big leap than two short ones.  Our objective is heaven, have the wisdom and courage to take the big leap or none at all.  There are "clouds of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1) who had the courage to never bend or bow. 

In sports-business-politics there are always those who will bend and break rules, those who will bow at the alter of popularity.  You warn your brother-son-friend about what they are up against in this world of competition.  It is so easy to get tired of the struggle, to compromise.

I wish I could tell you that I have never compromised.  The owner of a Jewish hotel told me, the struggle he has in serving kosher food to Jewish people who demand kosher according to their Jewish law.  In Jewish law, there are so many rules that must be followed, cutlery, mixing, rabbinical supervision.  It costs thousands of dollars more to present kosher meals.  He knew the compromises that take place in grocery stores and other places, where kosher like organic are just words.  He knows that Jews like all of us, will turn a blind eye, our certifications-licenses-peer review important in professions.  Should we bend and bow to just any article in a publication?  Any certification for a brain surgeon?  Any type of license for an airline pilot?  Should we compromise inspections? 

Care little about consequences?  There was a time when the Nobel Prize was worth something...but then came Carter, Obama, even the murderer Arafat.  We are all fooled with that ridiculous-silly example glass half full/half empty.  There are times not to bend or bow to mediocrity or fraud.  God holds us responsible when we do.  Most of the promises of God, conflicts of the world are viewed by the conscience of mankind.  Most of the world never sees tragedy up close, certainly not the elitist.  They cry "crocodile tears" but will bend and bow to anything that moves them upward.  In a lifetime ago, this field grade Army medical officer, talked with war prisoners who had been tortured, one said that the torture was ten times worse if you screamed or shed tears.  Satan wants the Christian world to bend and bow without screaming or shedding tears for the conditions around us.