Keeping the faith

Life comes with tests …

I loved being a student all my life, I really did, but I’ll be honest, I wasn’t crazy about test taking.

In a “Bible as literature” class I took in college, we were told the final exam would be 80 names of characters and places mentioned in the Bible, all mixed up in random order.

The test was to put them in correct order as they appear in the Bible, and to write two to three sentences about each one commenting on their significance … in two hours.

A classmate of mine complained: “How are we supposed to study for a test like that!”

The professor calmly said, “Well, look over your notes and just read and re-read the Bible, and try to remember all that is happening.”

Today we are experiencing wrenching tests of pain, disagreement and separation. Can we re-read our Bibles and find answers?

George Floyd’s death at the hands of a police officer is yet another tragedy of racial divide.

Many of us are grieving. Many are acting in protest. Hearts are broken; change must happen.

It’s a test of our lives, it’s a test of faith, it’s a test of reconciliation.

The city of Corinth in New Testament times faced many tests.

There were competing factions among the believers; there were issues of sexual sin and immorality; there was an unhealthy competition between Christians over spiritual gifts and abilities; there were challenges to leadership: Could Paul really be counted on? Was he true to his word?

In this testing situation Paul says, “Examine yourself!”

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you — unless, of course, you fail the test?” – 2 Corinthians 13:5.

Whoa! This was Paul saying: “Start with yourself!”

This is Bible talk for “Check yourself before you wreck yourself! … or others!”

Dear friends, when you fail a test, your best plan is to exam yourself to face the next exam.

Because of this, the Apostle Paul adds this helpful response that “… our prayer is that you may be fully restored.” – 2 Cor. 13:9.

The original language here has a meaning of setting right what is broken, like the setting of fractured bones. The word “restored” has a sense of setting two parts back together in the right way, for complete healing.

We are facing enormous tests right now. We have fractures. We need healing.

And I believe that the answer to our current tests starts with people of faith, disciples of Jesus Christ, who are reaching, praying, listening, reconciling … and restoring, in Jesus’ name.

What could happen if we ‘examined ourselves’? Are we just upset, or our we Just Christians? Are we acting in fear, or are we acting in faith?

And perhaps the key question for each of us in these tests:

Do you want to be right? Or do you want to be Jesus?

Do you simply want to be right, or do you want to be a representative of Jesus for the other person?

I heard of an encounter of someone who saw a man walking at night in a faltering, awkward way with a flashlight. His first thought was intoxication.

But oddly, he noticed the pedestrian was carrying a flashlight and a white cane? The observer wondered, “Why would a blind man be carrying a light?”

Deep suspicion and cynicism sprouted within. When he challenged the other, the blind man smiled:

“I carry a light, not so I can see, but so that others can see me. I cannot help being blind, but I can help others by not becoming a stumbling block.”

In all our disputes, divisions and tragic fractures, are you holding a light to see by? Are you carrying a light so that others can see you?

Photos: The Bighorn Fire in Coronado National Forest near Tucson

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Do you want to be right, or do you want to be Jesus? That is the test.

Verse: Proverbs 2:11 — Discretion will keep you; Intelligence will preserve you

Thought: We must ask God for discretion and prudence which will help us make decisions in light of his word.

The book of Proverbs is focused on producing wisdom in the hearts of every man, woman, youth, and child. It constantly challenges us to think as God thinks and to live lives that glorify him.

Although it is true that a proverb is not a mandate, it is good for the believer to examine the advice given and apply it to his life.

Discretion and prudence help us in the process of living godly lives.

In life, not every decision we must make will be a simple one. Sometimes the path to take is obvious. At other times we may make decisions through a counselor.

But discretion enters our lives when even after counsel or prayer, the path seems to be dark.

Discretion is the ability to examine a path and avoid following one that leads to destruction. It is the result of a man who practices wisdom and knows how to walk in a way that will bring him closer to God.

Prudence helps us take the right steps at the right time and in the right way.

Discretion and prudence will use the intelligence that God has given us to keep us and preserve us.

Man can only discern if he is wise. To be wise, you must seek to know your God intimately.

Photos: The Bighorn Fire in Coronado National Forest near Tucson

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Draw close to God today and ask for discretion and prudence which will preserve your life and keep you focused on God’s will for you.

I read this poem by Josephine Hart at our Shabbat service last week. I actually read it twice, to be sure it sunk in. More than ever we need to cultivate the middah (a positive character trait) of trust that our actions do make a difference, even in the face of injustice and suffering .

We are here to add to the sum of human goodness.

To prove the thing exists.

And however futile each individual act of courage or generosity, self-sacrifice or grace – it still proves the thing exists.

Each act adds to the fund.

The Jewish version might be “It is not yours to complete the task, but neither are you free to desist from it.” (Pirke Avot 2:21)

This is not the first time we have witnessed such rampant disregard for the law, for human life and for basic rights. Nor is it likely the last. But here we are: it is our turn in the great wheel of history to confront all that we find abhorrent, and to take action. One way is posted below.

We must keep going forward, fueled by the hope that our actions will add to the sum of human goodness, justice and fairness. This is what it means to be Jewish. This is what it means to be in the image of God, and this is what it means to see that image in every other human being.

Photos: The Bighorn Fire in Coronado National Forest near Tucson

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