Is the world worth saving? Take a look around.
It's no secret that Rick and I have been rather frustrated for the past week. People haven't been at their best, and we've done a lot of consulting with our inner circle in navigating through it. As I was taking my walk today, I found myself pondering the question that was the catalyst for Splinter over 3 years ago: Is the world worth saving? Take a look around. For every beautiful thing you see, there's an ugly counterpart in the shadows. And sometimes those shadows take over. Difficult people and tough times can make you feel isolated, but the truth is that it's something we all go through, and we all have times when we think: to hell with it all. Let it burn. I went through an entire season of life like that, which gave rise to this book. I spent six months figuring out how to kill the world and everybody in it - and pondering whether it was worth saving at any cost. And if you find that disturbing, remember that a publisher picked up this book, so obviously I'm not alone in these ponderings. In fact, I believe they're universal questions.
It's not flattering, but it's true. In fact, I think it's perfectly natural to question whether it's all worth it. From a Judeo-Christian perspective, we know that Christ died to save people, but in the end, the world will burn. The Bible is explicitly clear that people will be saved, but a New Heaven and a New Earth will come after the current one is destroyed - and destroyed magnicifiantly, according to the study our Sunday School class is doing on the Book of Revelation. And if you aren't the religious type, then consider this: the sun will go nova one day. It will flame up, consume the planet, and die itself. Whether you're a person of faith or not, it's all going down one day. So is it worth it to put up with the irritations and aggrivations to help and preserve it?
It's a natural question, and I believe there's no right answer because the answer will shift according to our perspective. People will aggravate you. It's going to happen. It's true that people can change, but that's not the question - it's will they change, and too often the answer is no. Often enough that we come to the point of giving up on them. And you can forgive them, but still give up on them. People can wear you out. I can testify to that, and often. I read something last week that said evil exist because people exist, and since God doesn't want to eliminate free will then he'd have to eliminate humanity to get rid of evil - and He loves us too much to do that. I know many arguments could be posed on this issue alone, but suffice it to say I mention it to testify to a simple fact: People suck. Every one of us. Even the person of faith struggles with the ebb and flow of good and bad in the soul, and we don't always win the battles. When does it come to a point where we give up and say that's it, I can't take it any more and I have no hope of positive change - and walk away? I think my latest novel, Move, addressed the issue of whether people are worth saving and when you get to the point of giving up well.
Things and circumstances can also aggravate you, too. Sometimes people cause the situations and sometimes it's what I like to refer to as the "random crap of life." Bad things happen. It rains on the just and the unjust alike, as The Bible says, and we have to deal with it. Even our best efforts can fail and things can go bad, or wrong, or completely to hell. It's the imperfect nature of the universe showing itself, and it can do that magnicifantly too. We get tired of going around the same mountains, of struggling with the same problems, of butting our heads and kicking and screaming against the old thing on a different day and wondering what the point is, and why we can't overcome it or find victory for once and for all? It's easy to say, to hell with it, things won't change. Sure, the law of undulation makes this impossible. Life is a series of ups and downs. Much like the ebb and flow of the soul, so do the circumstances of life. Will things go up? Absolutely yes, but they'll also go back down. Nothing ever stays the same. It's natural to wish the highs were longer seasons and the lows and building times were shorter seasons but alas, it's often the other way around. Reaping a harvest takes time, and sometimes we get so frustrated with the working/waiting cycle that we wonder if it's all worth it, if it's sure to fade away eventually.
I've been accused of being too "post modern" in my thinking on these things, but I'm not backing down because I feel this is truth. It's natural to have doubts about ourselves, other people, and the world we live in. To deny that is to deceive ourselves, and I feel it's better to face it. I think that Splinter faces these issues head on by showing you one woman's journey through faith, doubt, and back to belief in a new set of convictions.
Are people worth saving? It's been done, but how far does your belief go? Check out Move and think over your own convictions.
Is the world worth saving? Take a look around, and join the debate when Splinter is released on November 1st.
That's all today. Have a great rest of the week.
Bye!
It's no secret that Rick and I have been rather frustrated for the past week. People haven't been at their best, and we've done a lot of consulting with our inner circle in navigating through it. As I was taking my walk today, I found myself pondering the question that was the catalyst for Splinter over 3 years ago: Is the world worth saving? Take a look around. For every beautiful thing you see, there's an ugly counterpart in the shadows. And sometimes those shadows take over. Difficult people and tough times can make you feel isolated, but the truth is that it's something we all go through, and we all have times when we think: to hell with it all. Let it burn. I went through an entire season of life like that, which gave rise to this book. I spent six months figuring out how to kill the world and everybody in it - and pondering whether it was worth saving at any cost. And if you find that disturbing, remember that a publisher picked up this book, so obviously I'm not alone in these ponderings. In fact, I believe they're universal questions.
It's not flattering, but it's true. In fact, I think it's perfectly natural to question whether it's all worth it. From a Judeo-Christian perspective, we know that Christ died to save people, but in the end, the world will burn. The Bible is explicitly clear that people will be saved, but a New Heaven and a New Earth will come after the current one is destroyed - and destroyed magnicifiantly, according to the study our Sunday School class is doing on the Book of Revelation. And if you aren't the religious type, then consider this: the sun will go nova one day. It will flame up, consume the planet, and die itself. Whether you're a person of faith or not, it's all going down one day. So is it worth it to put up with the irritations and aggrivations to help and preserve it?
It's a natural question, and I believe there's no right answer because the answer will shift according to our perspective. People will aggravate you. It's going to happen. It's true that people can change, but that's not the question - it's will they change, and too often the answer is no. Often enough that we come to the point of giving up on them. And you can forgive them, but still give up on them. People can wear you out. I can testify to that, and often. I read something last week that said evil exist because people exist, and since God doesn't want to eliminate free will then he'd have to eliminate humanity to get rid of evil - and He loves us too much to do that. I know many arguments could be posed on this issue alone, but suffice it to say I mention it to testify to a simple fact: People suck. Every one of us. Even the person of faith struggles with the ebb and flow of good and bad in the soul, and we don't always win the battles. When does it come to a point where we give up and say that's it, I can't take it any more and I have no hope of positive change - and walk away? I think my latest novel, Move, addressed the issue of whether people are worth saving and when you get to the point of giving up well.
Things and circumstances can also aggravate you, too. Sometimes people cause the situations and sometimes it's what I like to refer to as the "random crap of life." Bad things happen. It rains on the just and the unjust alike, as The Bible says, and we have to deal with it. Even our best efforts can fail and things can go bad, or wrong, or completely to hell. It's the imperfect nature of the universe showing itself, and it can do that magnicifantly too. We get tired of going around the same mountains, of struggling with the same problems, of butting our heads and kicking and screaming against the old thing on a different day and wondering what the point is, and why we can't overcome it or find victory for once and for all? It's easy to say, to hell with it, things won't change. Sure, the law of undulation makes this impossible. Life is a series of ups and downs. Much like the ebb and flow of the soul, so do the circumstances of life. Will things go up? Absolutely yes, but they'll also go back down. Nothing ever stays the same. It's natural to wish the highs were longer seasons and the lows and building times were shorter seasons but alas, it's often the other way around. Reaping a harvest takes time, and sometimes we get so frustrated with the working/waiting cycle that we wonder if it's all worth it, if it's sure to fade away eventually.
I've been accused of being too "post modern" in my thinking on these things, but I'm not backing down because I feel this is truth. It's natural to have doubts about ourselves, other people, and the world we live in. To deny that is to deceive ourselves, and I feel it's better to face it. I think that Splinter faces these issues head on by showing you one woman's journey through faith, doubt, and back to belief in a new set of convictions.
Are people worth saving? It's been done, but how far does your belief go? Check out Move and think over your own convictions.
Is the world worth saving? Take a look around, and join the debate when Splinter is released on November 1st.
That's all today. Have a great rest of the week.
Bye!
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