Personal Struggles

Over the weekend, I had a chance to hear David

Ring speak. He has a web site. I haven't seen

it. His personal story is one that offers hope

and encouragement to those who face unusual

difficulties and challenges in life. He suffers

from cerebral palsy. As he says it, he has

cerebral palsy, but cerebral palsy doesn't have

him. He tells the story that it wasn't always

that way. He had to overcome his handicap, in

spite of the miraculous events that took place in

his life surrounding his birth and conversion.

It puts my own personal struggles into

perspective. Not that personal struggles are

insignificant. But they don't have to be an

overwhelming influence.


I suppose everyone has their own personal

struggles to face each day. Mine is a common

affliction -- marriage. It was heartwarming for

me, that David has found great happiness and

satisfaction in his family life. It is a good

thing. But I know that it is uncommon, whatever

people might have you believe. Many of us get up

each day and dread the thought of having to face

another day of what seems like hell on earth.

There can be any number of reasons for it. Men

and women are very different in spite of the fact

that there is a social campaign to enforce

someone's idea of 'equality'. There is no such

thing as equality; never has been and never will

be. You can say that's a negative point of view.

I'm just looking at facts.


I Corinthians 13 KJV

10But when that which is perfect is come, then

that which is in part shall be done away.

Hebrews 12 (Contemporary English Version)

22You have now come to Mount Zion and to the

heavenly Jerusalem. This is the city of the

living G-d, where thousands and thousands of

angels have come to celebrate. 23Here you will

find all of G-d's dearest children, [e] whose

names are written in heaven. And you will find

G-d himself, who judges everyone. Here also are

the spirits of those good people who have been

made perfect.


Once this life comes to an end, then there will

be what scripture describes as equality, in the

sense that everyone will be made 'perfect'. We

don't have any idea what that means in the here

and now, but I really like the sound of it. And

it's not just the notion that I won't be

irritated by everyone around me, but the fact

that I won't be a source of irritation to those

around me. Yes, perfect. This world knows

nothing about the meaning of 'equality' and

'perfection'. Occasionally, we get a glimpse of

it, but that's about it.


Matthew 14 KJV

33Then they that were in the ship came and

worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the

Son of G-d.

34And when they were gone over, they came into

the land of Gennesaret.

35And when the men of that place had knowledge

of him, they sent out into all that country round

about, and brought unto him all that were

diseased;

36And besought him that they might only touch

the hem of his garment: and as many as touched

were made perfectly whole.


Did you ever notice, that in the gospel accounts,

Jesus was such an ordinary looking guy that

people had a hard time recognizing him? When

Judas led the crowd out at the time that he

betrayed Jesus, he had to provide a signal to the

crowd in order to identify to them which one was

Jesus. Then in other passages, Jesus slipped in

and out of the crowds without being recognized.

He would approach and speak to people in

different places, and they had no idea who they

were talking to until either he identified

himself or did/said something really unusual or

'miraculous'.


Matthew 11:27 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain

27All things are delivered unto me of my Father:

and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father;

neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son,

and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.


I use the word 'miraculous', but I am reminded

that just because we can't explain something,

does not mean that it has a supernatural cause.

We just don't know what the cause is.

In the case of the resurrection there is,

clearly, a supernatural cause. Nobody returns to

life after being dead for three days. There is

no natural cause. Here's another example:


Mark 2 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered

Capernaum, the people heard that he had come

home. 2So many gathered that there was no room

left, not even outside the door, and he preached

the word to them. 3Some men came, bringing to him

a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4Since they

could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd,

they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and,

after digging through it, lowered the mat the

paralyzed man was lying on. 5When Jesus saw their

faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins

are forgiven."

6Now some teachers of the law were sitting

there, thinking to themselves, 7"Why does this

fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can

forgive sins but G-d alone?"

8Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this

was what they were thinking in their hearts, and

he said to them, "Why are you thinking these

things? 9Which is easier: to say to the

paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say,

'Get up, take your mat and walk'? 10But that you

may know that the Son of Man has authority on

earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the

paralytic, 11"I tell you, get up, take your mat

and go home." 12He got up, took his mat and

walked out in full view of them all. This amazed

everyone and they praised G-d, saying, "We have

never seen anything like this!"


And then there is this curious statement.


Mark 3

20Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd

gathered, so that he and his disciples were not

even able to eat. 21When his family heard about

this, they went to take charge of him, for they

said, "He is out of his mind."


Why is it that his relatives would suggest that

Jesus was '...out of his mind...'? In fact, he

was the only one in the whole world who was in

his right mind. He was the only one there who

really knew what was going on, in the present,

and what was going to take place in the future.

He was the only one there who was in complete

control of his own destiny. Funny, how people in

this world can't tell the difference between

what's true and what's false. It illustrates the

fact that even those who knew him, didn't really

know who he was, or understand what he was doing.

You can imagine, however, that they were

terribly frightened by the way that he was

confronting the religious leaders every chance he

got. The response that his relatives give says

alot about what they were thinking. They were

voiceing their disapproval. They were totally

intimidated by the religious leaders. This

passage among others, indicates that in Jesus'

time, people were dominated by fear and terror.


So in these passages, we see what the typical

response is to perfection. There are those who

welcome it, as an opportunity to worship, and

there are those who find themselves offended that

they no longer are an object of that worship.

At the essence of life is worship. Central to

worship, is theology -- who is G-d. In this

world there are many imperfect gods. Yet when

the one true G-d makes an appearance, he goes

unnoticed by many, opposed by some and worshipped

by the few, to whom he has been revealed. Jesus

was not well recognized in his own day, and he goes

without recognition in our day. Some things just

don't change much.