We've Got Spirit! Yes. Do we?
Growing up I seldom heard discussion of the Holy Spirit. I don't remember any discussions at church from the pulpit or in class. I do remember my dad trying to explain it, but not the specifics of that conversation. I just remember that it really frustrated him to see it called the "Holy Ghost" in the King James version and I asked him why. His explanation might have been extremely profound, but I was pretty young and don't remember it.
As I have grown and tried to understand the mysteries of the Holy Spirit and, frankly, the Trinity in general, I have still not arrived at any great conclusion. I tend to think that trusting God's wisdom in things might be a better approach than trying to understand everything. Still, I think the role of the Spirit is largely to work in the minds and hearts of those who seek the Lord's favor (and, I pray, even in those who do not) to do the Lord's will while we are here.
This has always worked for me and I have never been one to question why things happen the way they do or why they are the way they are. The other day, however, "Why" began creeping into the dark, unoccupied corners of my mind. I don't know where Why got the key or if Why is only passing through, but Why did indeed visit. Perhaps the key was Grant's blog on Mary. Perhaps it is the frustration over seeing a single mother stare unblinking into the face of cancer. Perhaps it is seeing people recklessly chase false prophets. Perhaps it is the continued oppression of people all over the world. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.
The other day I got downright frustrated with the Spirit. I was again listening to a discussion on the fight against poverty. The statistics were alarming in terms of how many people are living in poverty and how many die every day because of their conditions. But also alarming were the statistics on how the war on poverty has been proceeding. In the United States, $5 trillion have been spent on programs to fight poverty since FDR was in office. And yet, poor people still exist.
In 2004, an estimated $10-19 billion dollars went from the U.S. in the form of governmental aid and private donation to Africa. And yet, poverty still exists.
It seems to me that people do have a desire to help those who are oppressed and disadvantaged, but their efforts are much less fruitful than any of us would hope. So, I call on the Spirit to guide our efforts and make them productive as we seek to help people in God's name. Obviously, a mere flood of money is not the answer in and of itself. So what is? I doubt that venting (like I am right now) is the answer. But sometimes it just makes one feel better.
As I have grown and tried to understand the mysteries of the Holy Spirit and, frankly, the Trinity in general, I have still not arrived at any great conclusion. I tend to think that trusting God's wisdom in things might be a better approach than trying to understand everything. Still, I think the role of the Spirit is largely to work in the minds and hearts of those who seek the Lord's favor (and, I pray, even in those who do not) to do the Lord's will while we are here.
This has always worked for me and I have never been one to question why things happen the way they do or why they are the way they are. The other day, however, "Why" began creeping into the dark, unoccupied corners of my mind. I don't know where Why got the key or if Why is only passing through, but Why did indeed visit. Perhaps the key was Grant's blog on Mary. Perhaps it is the frustration over seeing a single mother stare unblinking into the face of cancer. Perhaps it is seeing people recklessly chase false prophets. Perhaps it is the continued oppression of people all over the world. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.
The other day I got downright frustrated with the Spirit. I was again listening to a discussion on the fight against poverty. The statistics were alarming in terms of how many people are living in poverty and how many die every day because of their conditions. But also alarming were the statistics on how the war on poverty has been proceeding. In the United States, $5 trillion have been spent on programs to fight poverty since FDR was in office. And yet, poor people still exist.
In 2004, an estimated $10-19 billion dollars went from the U.S. in the form of governmental aid and private donation to Africa. And yet, poverty still exists.
It seems to me that people do have a desire to help those who are oppressed and disadvantaged, but their efforts are much less fruitful than any of us would hope. So, I call on the Spirit to guide our efforts and make them productive as we seek to help people in God's name. Obviously, a mere flood of money is not the answer in and of itself. So what is? I doubt that venting (like I am right now) is the answer. But sometimes it just makes one feel better.
1 Comments:
Don't get dis-Spirited, Val!
Just remember: the poor we will always have with us.
But that doesn't mean their lives can't be richer than ours or Bill Gates'. I'm not trying to dodge the issue or excuse our negligence; I just went to a $150-a-plate dinner last night (paid by the university I work for) to honor a utility CEO and benefit a documentary film festival. The highlight for me was a sequence in the tribute video in which Hezekiah Stewart - a local preacher who has lived his whole life for and among the poor - briefly spoke.
The tribute should have been for him. With his Barry White voice, extraordinary intellect and world-sized heart, he could easily be the Martin Luther King of this generation. He instead chooses to be the Mother Teresa of slumside Little Rock.
I'm convinced he leads a richer life than I ever will.
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