Friday, December 10, 2010

All that we think we know may very well be wrong

All the divisions we create between ourselves as human beings............ are bullshit.

I'm gonna let that soak in for a moment before I say it again.

All the divisions we create between ourselves as human beings are complete, total, absolute, and otherwise completely unjustifiable bullshit.

View the video below first, then keep reading, and I'll explain why.





Special thanks to my Facebook friend M for sharing this remarkable piece, for, without seeing it, we might, for a moment, convince ourselves that we're not really all the same at the core.

But yet we are, and this man actually gets it.

I sometimes think that we who call ourselves Christians might think we have the market cornered on helping the poor and oppressed.  But, to paraphrase another friend of M, here is a man living out "Christian values" in the most exemplary way, even though he himself is not "a believer."

All this goes to show, my friends, that God works in ways that we cannot even begin to imagine, much less presume to understand or justify.

As a Christian myself, I do believe that Jesus Christ, sharing in the being, and therefore divinity, of God the Father, came into our world to reveal God's ways to us.  Likewise, I believe in the promise given the disciples at Pentecost, that God's Holy Spirit would remain with us and continue to guide us in Christ's absence.  And I believe the words of scripture where, in the Acts of the Apostles, Saint Peter says that "in truth... God shows no partiality" and "in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him" (Acts 10:34-35, emphasis added).

But can we accept this?  Can we accept that God can, and does, transcend our own divisions?  Can we who are "believers" accept that a "non-believer" can do God's work?  Can we be big enough to accept that we are small in God's plan for our world?  Do we truly believe that God is all-powerful, and can we be humble enough to accept that God is not limited by our human thinking?

I, for one, firmly believe that God, the God of Abraham and all his descendants, Jew, Christian, and Muslim alike, has chosen to work through this man, a non-believer, whether he knows it or not.  He is proof that God's Holy Spirit is alive and at work in our time, and that it continues to guide all people in the paths of righteousness.

So what does it all come down to?  I think it means we need to let go of the idea that we are somehow special because of the particular faith tradition that we ascribe to.  I think we need to keep our hearts and minds open, so we might recognize the many truly good people around us who are doing great deeds.  And, when we see them, I think we should celebrate those deeds to the fullest extent we can, spreading the news far and wide, so others might be inspired and cause the goodness to overflow.

If you agree, then go spread the word.

Good luck out there, everybody.

2 comments:

  1. It is a powerful video! Makes us look at everything from a new, purer perspective. Agreed, service and love should always be celebrated!

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  2. I have always been a true believer in "Goodness" Brian. This man is living and serving with a "good" heart. Thank you for sharing this wonderful video and your thoughts with us. Tell the fam "hi" from Reyna!!!

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