R3: radical, revolutionary, different

Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

Apparently he didn’t live with a 24 hour news cycle.

Because then he’d know that the economy is crashing.  All our politicians are adulterers.  Or, maybe we’re all adulterers!  Kid’s toys curse.  Our lifestyles are bad for the environment.  And we’re all going to die from a giant “death star” 1,000 light years away.  Or as one scientist put it, “I used to appreciate this spiral just for its beautiful form, but now I can’t help a twinge of feeling that it is uncannily like looking down a rifle barrel.”

To be honest, it’s overwhelming.  How do you get enough courage to get out of bed, let alone make a difference?  I think Homer Simpson sums it up well: “Quiet honey, you don’t know how big this government is. It goes all the way to the President.”

There is a sense that we live in a world totally out of control.  That we’re just pinballs in a galactic game of chance.  That there’s nothing to hold on to.  Nothing to stabilize us.  And everything is a threat.

But is that true?

The answer, I think, is “it depends.”

It depends on how you choose to live your life.  One of the most striking aspects of Jesus is that he lived with a purpose.  He knew what he was supposed to accomplish, and because of that, he didn’t let fear stop him.  How many of us would keep doing our jobs if we knew it would lead to death?  But Jesus did.  He knew that his death was the only way to save us.  He knew that he was living for something more than just the things we can get in this world.

If we don’t have a purpose, we really are out of control.  Because without something to ground us, we get tossed around.  But once we have a purpose everything changes. 

What’s a gas shortage compared to spending eternity with God?  What’s an election compared to helping someone understand who God is?  What’s a killer sun going to take from us, when we stock our treasures in heaven?

We get one shot at this life.  And in that time we have a choice to make.  Do we make a difference or just look for a safe spot to watch life?  This, in no way, is easy.  It’s hard to step out into areas that are uncomfortable.  It’s hard to do the things we’re afraid of.  It doesn’t feel natural.  But compared to eternity, being laughed at doesn’t seem so bad.