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IRev It Up... |
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The first thing that Adam and Eve did together after they lost their grip on paradise was have a baby boy. Right away they had another one which, as any pleasantly contented only child will tell you, was a big mistake. Not only that, but when they both grew up and presented offerings of their work to the Lord, the firstborn son felt as if the Lord liked the offerings of the secondborn son best. The firstborn son threw a king-sized hissy fit at that, which included a lot of glowering and sulking. The Lord had a little talk with him, reminding him of how good he was and how much he was loved, but it did no good. The older one talked the younger one into going out into the woods with him, whereupon he attacked and murdered him. Look around a little bit, and you see that this is a never-ending story. Palestinians and Israelis, Sunnis and Shiites, Catholics and Protestants, Christians and Muslims, Jacks and Coyotes - to say nothing of what happens around family tables, even some church family tables - cousins all, in the household of God, battling to the bitter end. Or, spend a few cold rainy days inside a smallish lake cabin with four generations of one family, including two boys, ages 2 and 1, who happen to be getting to know one another all over again. The older one was there first, and so had already enjoyed several delightful days of doting grandparents and greatgrandparents. He was a bright and winsome child, clever beyond description, surely the best little kid ever to appear on the face of the earth. Until the second one arrived on the scene, who up to that very moment had also enjoyed the high privilege of being the celebrated center of his own world, and right before our very eyes, the first one turned into a wily little tyrant with something like murder in his deep blue gaze. He offered the obligatory kiss and hug to his little cousin from Kansas, and then proceeded to mark his territory in every way he could, snatching toys away quick as lightening, out-muscling the younger one’s every movement, making sure we didn’t have to work too hard to notice that he was bigger and more advanced and therefore more worthy of praise and favor than little boy #2. It wasn’t long before he had moved all the way to head-butting and side-arming, and the little one, no longer king of the world, would go scurrying to the safety of his mother’s lap at the mere sight of the big bully entering the room. Whereupon, each of their parents, my two brilliant and beloved children, looked at me with that look that fairly shouted They never act this way at home, and why didn’t you tell me it would be like this, and why don’t you tell me what I am supposed to do now?! (I hope the parents of the two little boys remember, if they are reading this, how much I loved them through their own hard-fought battles and my own short supply of patience, and how much I love them still, and am button-bursting proud of them as they take their turn raising the next generation. I hope they don’t mind too much that I poke fun of their little boys this way, both of whom I will defend to the end as The Cutest Grandboys In The World.) Something about having to live together brings out the worst in us. It is not a natural thing, this thought that only by sharing will we all survive in the end, only by being last will we end up being first, only by serving will we be fully blessed. Our instinct kicks in long before our higher thought processes have time to mature. Our urge to hurt if we need to is built into the core of who we are. Still, we also, as we have been taught, bear the image of God in our very being. Are created a little lower than the angels, as the psalmist sings. Have as much empathy in our bones as we do ferocity. Our 2-yr-old knew instantaneously when the 1-yr-old’s cry turned from one of righteous outrage to one of genuine pain, and was the first to tug on my sleeve to get me to pay attention, the first to go and offer a gentle pat of consolation. Which brings me to a remarkable interview I read in Christian Century this week. Tariq Ramadan is a Swiss Muslim of Egyptian lineage who holds two doctorates, in philosophy and Arabic and Islamic studies. Here are some excerpts: “No great scholars in the Islamic tradition would say that the only right jihad is the jihad alnafs, the spiritual struggle. However, military jihad is justified only when it is defensive... Sometimes I do go through a spiritual crisis. But if you have a deep relationship with God, he will forgive what no human being can forgive; he is the forgiver of everything. This is jihad, in fact: it’s a struggle against your own judgment, because that is the first obstacle to receiving God’s mercy. Because you start to judge yourself, you forget that he can be the most merciful and can simply accept what people do.... The way toward God (this is how I translate Shari’a; it is not set of rules but the way to be faithful)... This is what I am asking from a Jew, a Christian, an atheist. Don’t try to convert me; just be consistent and bear testimony to your values. This is what I am trying to do as a European Muslim, and it is what we need today in order to change the world.” Jesus once said, I am the way..... Do you suppose what he meant had less to do with exclusivity in regard to a certain set of rules and more to do with his life being a shining example of a way to be faithful? If that were true, do you suppose there would be less strong-arming in the world and more gentle pats of comfort? More sharing and less murder? More life and less death? May you be nice to both the 2-yr-old tyrant and the 1-yr-old scaredy-cat, inside you and everyone you meet today. |
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602 Mitchell Drive ● Alcester, SD 57001-0229 ● Phone: 605.934.2341 |
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Reflections
on Faith and Life