Stop anyone along the street and they will tell you the world needs changing. "Look at our political system!" they cry. "Our schools, our economy, our health care!"
We don't have to look far to see the imperfections of society and concede that things are a long ways off from what they should be.
A woman once declared, perhaps rather self-righteously, "People are sick! This culture is sick!" When asked if she included herself in the category, the woman drew herself up and stiffly responded, "No, I'm perfectly well, thank you."
Everyone agrees: the world needs a change - for the better. Then again, perhaps it's not really a matter of what needs changing as much as it is an issue of who needs changing.
But will we admit that we need to change?
Jesus once remarked, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." He understood that our sickness transcends bodily ailments like leprosy or cancer or blindness. Our hearts are sick; we struggle with insecurity, unhappiness, bitterness, self-centeredness, resentment, and a host of other disorders.
At the root of all these sicknesses is sin - our rebellion against God and our rejection of his plans, of his way of doing things, and of him. We've tried to generate our own life purpose and meaning, to maintain a benevolent attitude towards all people (within reason, of course), and to find happiness in our pursuits, possessions and relationships.
We've tried to create a life apart from God. In doing so, we've cut ourselves off from the source of life himself. We died - not just physically, but emotionally, intellectually, spiritually, and relationally. You and I have become content with maintaining simply pleasant, superficial acquaintances instead of meaningful relationships that challenge as well as build us up.
Life as God fashioned it is having a relationship with him.
Jesus died and came back to life so that we could live again. When he died as the only flawless, faultless man who ever lived, he experienced true severance from his Father in heaven - on a scale we could never dream of. When he came back to life, he showed that not even death can separate us from him. Jesus has given us the opportunity to enjoy and experience true life. Because of him, we can lead lives of wholeness, fulfillment, and significance through a constant connection to God. Like a branch that thrives and grows due to its connection to the greater living thing.
You and I need changing. We can't do it on our own but that's all right. It would be foolish for an injured, bleeding man to attempt to repair his damages. He needs someone more skilled at restoring a human body, someone who isn't wounded himself. God formed us and therefore, we are his responsibility.
But we do have a decision in the matter. And that's whether or not we will choose to face up to our "sicknesses" and admit we are like broken pots in need of mending, like the sea lion who "lost" the sea. We've forgotten what it's like to really live and even what it means to be human.
Dilys never imagined that she'd be writing an article for the internet. Just goes to show you how divine power really does change a person! Copyright 2002 iamnext.com. May not be used without permission.
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