The Grand Design

[HKHaugan]

Recently, when I was concerned about a certain massive bill that was being introduced in congress, I immediately asked who wrote the bill, by whose authority was it written, who was supervising its production, who was reviewing it as it was being written, who would be responsible for its ongoing supervision and who would be responsible for its long term outcome not only for the country but for each individual in the country? I wish that the individuals in our judicial, legislative and executive branches had asked these questions.

The operative word in these questions here is ‘who.’ Ultimately, what determines the shape, the scope and the purpose is the mind and heart of the person and/or persons involved in the production. What are their background influences, biases, agendas, philosophies and present motivations? Those always are derived from relational experience.

So the real question is not what, but who, is the major influence in their lives? It's not the what, like education, cultural elements and conditions, but who has had the deepest personal influences in their past growing up? This is a reasonable and important question especially in light of the fact that only 545 people (who fill the executive, judicial and legislative branches) are the final judges of the policies that govern in excess of 320,000,000 individual persons. Just like us, each of these 545 people has a personal history, a way of looking at life and motivations behind what they think, feel and do.

When you read or hear that Walmart, Ford, General Electric, the Boy Scouts, the NFL have changed a policy or that the IRS has taken a different direction in the way it determines a course of action or that The White House or the Administration has spoken, who specifically was involved? If it was a board, or a committee, or an agency, who were the actual persons involved? It is especially seen in the network news shows when reporters present a political or governmental news flash. It's always a generalized conclusion without referencing the actual persons involved in the event. If there is a change in any policy, decision, attitude or direction, who specifically was it that effected the difference? The Senate cannot change its mind, only the individuals in it can. There is no right or left wing, only individuals with right or left attitudinal reasoning. So we don't pray for an agency, a committee, a nation or a government. We pray for the individuals in them.

Another question that needs answering, when someone in government, or in any group for that matter, says that they take full responsibility for the outcome of a certain event and that event caused upheaval in the lives of many just what does “taking responsibility” mean? In my younger days in this country it meant the resignation of the person in charge. Now it seems to mean that just the statement itself should make the person in charge feel good about themselves and, since they feel good about themselves having said that, it means everyone who hears them should feel good too. Add to this the idea that society is to blame for all our problems and if mistakes are made it was the cultural influences or their upbringing. Give---me---a---break!

Actually my purpose here is to place all of our present concerns in spiritual perspective (the unseen reasoning behind the invisible attitudes that motivate us) because it’s our spiritual perspective that sparks our action. Beyond the present, beyond the past and beyond the future who is behind everything, who is in charge and supervising existence, who is constantly reviewing its movement, whose mind was involved in putting everything together and why? What are the long-term benefits and the ultimate goals for humanity as a whole and each individual within the human community? The Bible tells us it is the Father exacting His will through His Son Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Here is a great perspective passage that shows us the person of God the Father taking responsibility on our behalf, “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all Creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in eferything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the Cross (Col.1:13-20).”

Why would He take that responsibility on Himself when it was ours? Because each of us were helplessly alone, afraid and lost in the complete inability to know who we came from and what the problem was. “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom.5:8).”

Heres' the way the Message Bible puts it: “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his One and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again (Jn.3:16 ).”

Spiritual perspective? Only God can reconcile and love people and only people can love each other. Motivation, supervision, detail and purpose can only be understood in the context of God’s love and grace as revealed in Jesus before whom everything was a mystery until He came. “The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. That's what I'm working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me (Col.1:24-26 The Message).” The shape, the scope and the purpose of all things can only be understood in Him. That’s the Grand Design!