To know our not to know

A few months ago I was watching a Ted talk about the brain.  The presenter showed live on the screen a brain being scanned and how different parts would light up according to the activity that was being performed.  It was amazing to see a brain in action until the presenter said something that struck me and took me out of the presentation and in to my own thoughts.  He said to the person whose brain was being scanned, "you can control your brain."  Maybe for someone who is very knowledgeable on the topic, this is not a big deal, but it was, and is, for me.  Not in a bad sense, but in the awe sense.  What part of us control the brain?  Isn't the brain the center of control of our being?

There must be a scientific explanation that makes sense, but the fact is that obviously there is more then what we, after all the advancements, have come to discover and comprehend.  Another presenter on the same topic acknowledged that there is not yet a sound explanation on how our conscience works within the hardware of our brain.  Yet, we use our brain without even trying to understand how it works.

Obviously, life is full of mysteries that generate the context in which we live in.  One of them is the constant conflict that we face between what we understand is good, and what we understand is bad.  And beyond that, the pressures we need to resist in order to maintain our professional, ethical, moral or spiritual ground.  Regardless of our religious affiliation or philosophy of life, we agree that stealing is bad, and helping is good.  Where this sense of good and bad comes from?  And not only that, but why they seem to be in constant conflict?, both, with in each of us as well as in the constant social tensions that we experience too very often.

Jesus assured us that this tension exist when he said: "the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it" (Matthew 11:12, NLT).  Yes, it is true. the good news of salvation too many times finds itself within the context of conflict.  History has witness even violence and wars, but the conflict has been seen also in legislative contentions, and social unrest.  Why?  Why are we, as society, so prone to conflict?  Why do we historically react negatively to the offer of God?  In deed, it is a mystery.

Limited by my will

I remember having a discussion in my late teen years about how powerful was God.  Maybe you had the same discussion.  We were wondering of God was so powerful that he could create a rock so big and so heavy that he couldn't lift.  Of course, either way you answer that question you'll admit that God isn't that powerful after all.  As useless as that particular conversation was, years after I admit there is a limit to God's power.

In the book of Revelation, in the message to the church in Laodicea, Jesus assures: "Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends" (Revelations 3:20, NLT).  If you look closely, this text shows two things: 1) God has taken the initiative to invest himself in a unilateral action or series of actions to place himself in a position to get involved in our lives.  2) The limit to his power, his initiative and investment is our "door".  We still have the power to reject God's invitation.  So yes, God's power has a limit, and it is your freedom to choose.

Not forever

Though it may seem sometimes that the bad in life is forever, from a financial struggle to a breakup, the truth of the matter is that better days are yet to come, right?  Well, at least for the optimistic, you may say.  And I hope I don't sound too naive to you today, but my purpose in this post is to remind you that there is reason for you to believe that even though we may be in situations far from good, we are still in the position to hope for e better future.

We need to be aware of the reality of this world that we live in.  Bad things can and happen to good people, and good things apear to happen to bad people.  Yes this world is unfair.  Even the children if Israel complained about it saying: "What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the LORD of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins?  From now on we will call the arrogant blessed. For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them suffer no harm" (Malachi 3:14-15, NLT).  Yes, from an angle, this is the reality of the world we live in, and may be, in recent days, weeks or even months, this has been your reality.  So how do we make sense of the importance of being faithful to God if there is no guarantee of us avoiding bad in our lives?

Again, the reality of this world is attached to the reality of sin, and yes, it is un unfair world.  Until we are part of the new heavens and the new earth (Revelations 21:1), we will be exposed to this reality.  But "No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).  This is for this world.  We are capable of enduring whatever we may be facing today, and still let hope illuminate our lives. Of the list faithful servants of God, the bible says: "All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth" (Hebrews 11:13).

Beyond the previous statements, we are called to aim for a higher goal.  In the message to the church of Smyrna, God says: "Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life...  Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death." (Revelations 2:10-11).  Yes, it is a life in a sinless world that we aim for.  To the complains of the Children of Israel, God asure them that soon it will come the day in which "you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not" (Malachi 3:18).