Through Stained Glass: A Mid-Week Reflection-Second

Second

“Every second, two people die…What if this is your second?”

…

..

.

That thought you just had. You know, the “Wait, did he really just say that?” one?

It might have even made you feel a bit uncomfortable.

Those are the exact feelings I had when I read that line Monday night. These words are from a religious tract that was placed on the windshield of my truck. In under 400 words this tract asks the reader 24 different “What if?” questions.

They ranged from “What if you won a million dollars?” to “What if hating without cause was considered murder?”

If I’m honest, for some reason I have not been able to let go of this tract. In fact, I’ve kept it in my pocket and have found myself on a couple different occasions staring at it. Perhaps, subconsciously, I am trying to make sense of these ‘what if?’ questions.

Maybe it was because all the “what if?” questions that were asked were all self-centered.

What if the world needs more of what is on the right than on the left?

Maybe it was because all the “what if?” questions made God out to be an angry parent who is quick to hate and slow to love.

Maybe it was because all the “what if?” questions made humanity, specifically the person reading the card, out to be anything but good.

All this “what if-ing?” has lead me to ask some of my own “what if?” questions.

Like, what if we started with questions that weren’t so negative or made us out to be helpless puppets of an angry God?

What if God really is love?

What if faith isn’t about a rugged individualistic relationship with Jesus but a life lived in community?

What if we begin God’s story in Genesis 1 and not Genesis 3?

What if we talked less about Jesus and more about what Jesus talked about?

What if we quit focusing on the afterlife and started living it right now?

What if we helped the person who is currently living in hell—someone who lost a child to suicide; someone who has had a miscarriage; someone who has just lost their job; someone who is in an abusive relationship—what if we helped these people now rather than inquiring about where they’ll be after it is all said and done?

What if we actually believed Jesus when he told us to “be perfect as I am perfect”? Or is that taking things too literally?

What if heaven is real and every time we protect the image of God in someone, or care for God’s creation and not worry about them pearly gates up yonder, it is made manifest right in front of us?

What if we didn’t hate at all?

What if we actually loved our neighbors—especially those who we disagree with or who may not believe as we do?

What if violence isn’t the answer?

What if instead of seeing labels like “handicapped,” or “reject,” or “liberal,” or “transgendered,” or “conservative,” or “gay,” or “straight,” or “Baptist,” or “Christian,” or “other,” or “Cubs fan,” we see each other as God see us:  beloved human beings?

What if instead of worrying about what happens when we die we choose to live

here

and

now?

What if we quit playing the “what if” game and use our life, our time, our energy making a prayer shawl for someone in the hospital, or buy the coffee for the person behind you, or we planted seeds at a community garden, or we bought Gatorade for those teenagers who “are always up to no good”?

What if we believed Paul when he said that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female? Too literal again?

What if we told our children they possess an inherent goodness, and that life is about discovering this goodness, and that we call this journey towards discovering the divine spark we all possess…salvation?

What if,

in all of this,

what if

we

                                    are

all

wrong?

What if LOVE is all we need?

After all, if God is who we say God is, then Love is not only the answer, but it is our identity—for we are created in the image of Love.

Last thing, what if we approached life with this thought from Thomas Merton:

“It seems to me the most absurd thing in the world is to be upset because I am weak and distracted and blind and constantly make mistakes! What else do I expect? Does God love me any less because I can’t make myself a saint by my own power and in my own way? God loves me more because I am so clumsy and helpless without God and underneath what I am God sees me as I will one day be by God’s pure gift and that pleases God. Therefore, it pleases me and I attend to God’s great love which is my joy.”

Every second somebody is wondering, “what if I am not loved?”

What if this is your second to tell them they, in fact, are?