Arms in the Furnace

I have pulled a child from the bottom of the pool, but I can't say that I truly saved her.

I have gone the extra mile for someone who did not expect it, but I have never gone the extra mile for someone who forced me into unwilling service.

I have been misrepresented and defended myself and at other times kept silent because I knew that it wouldn't matter.

I have lived a life of comparative ease here in the United States of America and ached upon seeing the photos and videos of dead and dying bodies around the world from the safety of my home, but have only had a favorite dog die in my arms. There have been many funerals that I have attended and they all died of natural causes and in one piece.

I have taught my children to watch out for cars, but I have never had to teach them about land mines or tanks.

I have learned to clean my fruits and vegetables to remove pesticides, but I have never been poisoned by nerve gas or burned by napalm.

I have talked to people who have returned from war. I have heard their "truth is stranger than fiction" accounts, but I have never had to tell one.

I wonder, have I truly lived? Do I have to wipe the blood of my children from my hands to understand life?

The answer is no. We are accountable only for that which we fully encounter in this short life. That does not release us from empathetic angst which is due these mortals in pain. What it should mean is that we must understand how much gratitude we must express for our lives. Mortals are, for the first time in the history of humanity, able to visualize the pain of the entire planet like the Creator, but we have not the wisdom or mercy to understand what we see.

If we allow that "TIME" is the talent to which we are entrusted during our brief sojourn here, then we must will every ounce of our strength and make the best use of that time while it is under the domain of our free-will.

Some of us are led to fight for the rights of animals after we see the global abuse. Some of us fight for the rights of the unborn children, others fight for the rights of pro-choice. Some fight for the rights of the poor, some the drug infested, some for education, some for freedom of religion-bearing arms-to vote-countless others. Some fight to overthrow tyranny and oppression, others to create it.

Why are we always fighting for something? Can it be that the same number of people who are right are also wrong. All have fallen short of the Glory of God. None of us can truly understand the immense picture that is thrust upon our fragile senses.

We fight for what is right based upon our experience and belief as do others. We are morally compelled as much by current thought as we are by eternal truth. It is obvious to those who are always right that the rest of us have confused the two. Our highest moral ideals of 1996 are not necessarily synonymous with the will of God.

Into which furnace are you thrusting your arms? Is it the fire of Divine transformation or the furnace of man made ideas. We all die. And if we believe anything then we do indeed die for a cause. How can we tell if we are the ones who are deceived. Are any of us willing to entertain the notion that we will be among God's elect that will be led astray? I suggest that we all assume that we have some flaws in our beliefs. I say that because God knows all fall short of his Knowledge, Understanding, Glory, Mercy, and Justice. Therefore, what determines the deception? It can't be for the sake of knowledge. It shouldn't be for the sake of the finish line of faith. The elect all have one thing in common. They believe that they are the elect. The chosen ones. They are tinged or consumed with spiritual pride in the absoluteness of their small view.

Let us all be grateful that our cracked vessels hold water at all.
Let us all live as if in the presence of God and take our place at the lowest seat.
Let us all be forever grateful that we are even bidden to the feast as children of the King and friends with His Son.

If you cannot count your blessings, then be humbled in the presence of those who can and remember, If you do not feel close to God, guess who moved?