Work hard. Get paid. Play hard. Repeat.
And so it goes, American culture calls us to be like what we see on tv, find enjoyment in the material, and gives us the overall mentality that we as human beings can make something of ourselves.
My wife, who is an RN, works 12 hour shifts. I have realized lately that I simply havent seen her much, but as a student in an M. Div. program, our lives require that someone make the money so that we can pay the bills. Still, my wife works 36+ hours a week. When she gets home, our house is often dirty, the laundry needs to be done, and the dog needs to be attended to. So much work. We have to plan vacations in order to get any real relaxation. Even when we feel like we need rest, it does not come. In trying to rest we stress about the things we have left undone, and we cna not rest until those things left undone are in fact done.
So we work. So we try. I often times find my prayers opening with: "God, Im trying; I'm trying so hard." I, being a married man without kids, feel compelled to do so much. I feel compelled to get the grades I know I am capable of getting. I feel compelled to watch out for my wife and make sure she is getting the attention she needs. The dog compells me to let him out when he needs to use the restroom. Then my wife and I have extended family that we simply dont see that often. We feel compelled to keep in touch, visit every so often, and then get involved with any current ongoing drama. Now for those who have kids, you add another paragraph to what you feel compelled to do. Oddly enough, this added paragraph is only the tip of the ice berg.
Our responsibilities weigh us down. Often times, sadly enough, much of what weighs us down is imagined. That is, we worry. We worry about the economy, we worry about fighting over seas and the constant possibility of it becoming local, and we worry about how much rain a region is getting. For some, we worry about where our next meal is going to come from. For others, they worry about if there contract will be renewed, what city they might be at next, so on, so forth.
Regardless of who you are and what your worries are; regardless of if your efforts seem to not be sufficient; or regardless if you want to be like the movie or sports star (or even are one)-Regardless, Jesus Christ represents the complete antithesis to our works righteousness. For the rich, we are told that they are not able to follow, or at least those who are unwilling to let go of their riches in order to serve the kingdom. For the poor, we are given the parable that God attends to the birds, who fly around with no worries, they simply know they will be able to find food. How much more so for those in need, how much more for those God loves.
Jesus Christ was sent and redefined social structures. The pharisees lashed Christ for healing and forigiving sins, especially when Jesus did so on the Sabbath. Christ spent time with the sinners, tax collectors, and prostititutes. Jesus said for us to receive a peaceful yoke and a light burden. Yet, we strive. Yet, we work. We idolize idols, and we will let our souls bleed dry because we simply do not understand that salvation comes through faith. Not by works, but by faith.
My conviction, yes, my own personal conviction, is this: I believe that Jesus came to live amongst the sinners, die on a cross, and raise again on the third day. I believe he did this because it was the only way to breach the chasm between people and their God. Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice and was a one time and final offering for all those who believe. As a believer, I am reconciled, forgiven, adopted, and justified by faith. Yet, my examples of my wife working, myself striving for certain grades, and American's overall mindset that if we just try a little harder, strike me as simply naive. If, Jesus is who the Bible says, then why are Americans so concerned with works righteousness? Why are we concerned with how the world is turning what others might say, and if we are working hard enough. The reality is this: We are all called to a certain vocation and through that vocation we have one, and only one, responsibility. That is to serve God through faith that Jesus might be known to all the world(or the community we serve). Everything outside of this, is our works righteousness. If we do anything a part from this, it is by our own might. Nothing our might will ever do will ever be considered righteous, Im sorry people, but, in comparison, our efforts will never compare to the Holiness found in God. We ate the apple, and we suffer the consequences. Yet, through Jesus, we are given a different path to God that is seperated from our works. We are given the opportunity for faith. God calls us to repentence and Christ's actions on the cross lead to redemption: to justification.
Not by my will Lord, but by thine will be done.
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