Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Joy To The World!
By
Francis William Bessler
Laramie, Wyoming
12/12/2012
As I begin this “blogging business” of adding a bit of a note to an ongoing journal of my website, it is the season to be jolly - as it is said; and it is too. I have come to realize, however, with each succeeding year that I live - and I have just turned 71 - that there in so such thing as a season to not be jolly. I do not know of a single season that should not be accompanied with joy, Why? Because all seasons have one thing in common - God is Present in them All!
We humans are often filled with “folly” which is the exact opposite of “jolly” because we insist on seeing one day different than another day in terms of blessedness and one place different than another place in terms of blessedness and one life different than another life in terms of blessedness; and that is the “folly” that keeps all days and all times and all places from being filled with “jolly.”
To each, his or her own, but for the life of me, I cannot imagine an Infinite God missing from anyplace or anyone. It is simply beyond the rank of possibility. Everywhere I look, I see God because everywhere I look I see Life - or even just Existence. Let others divide the world into Good and Evil if they want, but wanting it does not make it so.
I do not believe there can be any evil in the world in terms of a “missing God”; however I do believe that evil can happen because of a failure to see God in everything. If I see you as lacking God, then it will be quite easy for me to “dismiss” you from among the worthy; and when I have declared you as unworthy, then you, Dear One, are “expendable.”
I do not believe that anyone is “expendable” - no matter what he or she has done because by “dispensing” of one for any reason is to “dispense of life” and not just some one considered unworthy because of what he or she may have done. If I dispense of you, I cannot do that unless I dispense of all of your life; and therein is the great tragedy of so called justice. In doing justice by claiming to “eliminate” some considered unworthy individual, it is Life itself that is eliminated.
Well, that’s the way I look at it - though I may well be among a minority who do see it that way. Personally, I treasure Life itself for being a fantastic, majestic, and honorable gift of Creation - and God. It is hard for me to insist on punishing someone with life by treating the life they have with contempt. I have a hard time differentiating a person from the life they have.
I admit to being somewhat of an “idealist,” however - perhaps in the light of another “idealist” - one we call Jesus. I think Jesus was an idealist too - and not many heard his idealism because they were too caught up in their world - or worlds - of civilized reality.
For what it’s worth, I pride myself on being a “Holistic” Christian, but not a “Messianic” Christian. The former is one who believes that all life is holy because it is blessed of the presence of God. The latter is one who thinks that life itself needs to be “saved” because it has become inherently lacking in goodness for whatever reason. I do not believe that life needs saved because I see no evidence that life itself is guilty of anything - and I am convinced that Jesus did not believe life needs to be saved either. In that, Jesus and I are one. At least, I think so.
Thanks (FWB)