A Day At A Time

The AA folks are onto something with that "One Day At A Time" approach. The human psyche really can't can't comprehend the long term. We can make plans and talk about what's going to happen some day down the line, but we're pretty much along for the ride. Not quite like a stick in a river — we can choose which part of the river we will float on to an extent. But in real life, we aren't in charge of much. That brings me to a quote I found on another blog, http://www.hepcboy.com/: "I don’t believe in God but do believe in miracles." I rarely take issue with this extraordinarily bright and combative fighter against HCV. A previous non-responder or relapser, he's on the 72-week plan, which from 47 weeks appears as distant and daunting to me as the summit of Everest.

But I do take issue with that statement about God and miracles. I belive in both, being as how I dont' think you can have one without the other.

Gentle Reader, I'll spare you the apologia, but I do find it necessary to say that I'm a Christian, that I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that he was crucified, died, and rose again. Literally. Whole kit and caboodle. Some stereotypes probably just popped into your head. Most of them are probably wrong. No, I do not think the world was created 6,000 years ago. I'm okay with the idea of evolution and DNA and with the idea of Adam and Eve being of a mythic (folkloric) origin. I could even make a case for homosexuality as possibly being a biblically valid lifestyle choice. But I won't because it's outside of my purpose here and I don't have a dog in that hunt. I hate abortion (I've seen three children in utero when they would have been legal abortions, no questions asked). But I don't think there should be an inquest every time a gynecologist does a D&C. Some things, I'm very happy to leave up to God.

The short version of the basis of my belief is that it makes sense for me. If what I believe doesn't make sense for you, then there's little I can say to dissuade you. I come from a Christian tradition that would gladly thump a non-believer or questioner about the head and ears with a bible. But that's not my thing. Nonetheless, I do believe that if God wants you, you can dodge Him all you want and He's still going to get you. My willingness to say something might make a difference, and I'm under orders to say something in this regard. So I say something, and let God do his thing.

What I believe is that people are hard-wired, whether they believe it or not, to worship. If a human chooses not to worship God, then they will, believe it or not, like it or not, worship something else. Western culture is lousy with mis-directed worship. Pick any vice, bad habit, fad, or profession. All of them objects of worship.

What are the consequences of believing or not believing? It isn't my place to say. Will my homosexual friend T. spend eternity in a lake of burning sulphur because of his non-belief? Will I be rewarded for my belief with a pair of wings and a harp? Honestly, I kind of doubt both points, and I'm thankful that it isn't mine to say.

What I do know is that whenever humans have tried to anticipate God, we've been wrong. Abraham was promised descendants "like sands on the seashore." He got what he was promised, but not in the way he expected. So I don't waste a lot of time puzzling out alleged end-times prophesies or imagining eternity. I just want to get through today, sometimes the next five minutes. But people have been tortured and burned at the stake because they didn't follow the dictates of some religious authority. My bet is that those guys were surprised as they entered Eternity.

Which brings us back to what I set out to write about. I've been able to get through this experience because of the grace of God and my own belief that I had help. Others may be strong enough to do it without God. Hat's off to them. I wouldn't have been able to make it. In short, I've found my life better with God than without, and during this trial, God has given me the chance to depend on Him. I think that He's active in my life in ways that I little suspect. As my dad said upon learning that he had cancer, "News like that will make you look at your hole card." I have taken a hard look at all my cards this past year. Grace is what got me through it. Someday soon I will run down the little synchronicities that got me here. As a Christian, I know where they came from.

But that's all I have to say to that for now.

"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
Philippians 4:13