THE GREATER GOOD
Call me naïve, but though I believe in the inherent sinfulness of man, I also believe that we humans also have in us capacity and desire to do good. All things being equal, if given a chance between doing good and doing harm, most of us would choose the former.
But not all things are equal. Competing for the greater good all too often is the perception and/or the reality of the individual good. Warring factions in Iraq, uncertain that their individual causes will thrive or even survive in the new regime, are withholding their vital verbal support in order to safeguard a place of importance and power. Nationally, Kerry and Bush are lining up their support base, cutting deals now with key constituencies that one of them will have to follow through on from 2005 to 2008, regardless of whether or not it is good for the country as a whole. And locally, politicians are haggling over whether or not to give Comcast a sweet tax break to keep them in the city, rather than taking the time to push through tax reform that will make the city a great place for all businesses to locate.
But let’s not point fingers outwards when there’s so much in our own hearts that condemn us. More often than not, we cannot plead ignorance – not that it’s a legitimate defense, anyway -- when it comes to what lives we ought to live for the greater good of a just society. We know what are the important things we ought to safeguard – good schools, safe neighborhoods, and a corruption-free political system, for example – yet we seldom choose to sacrifice individual comfort for societal progress.
Such is the dilemma of the urban Christian. It is vital that she tend to her own needs, without which burnout is likely and a self-important martyrdom role dangerously easy to take on. And yet it is a subtle thing to forgo being poured out in the service of others and the greater good for a life that does not stick its neck out and takes care of its own.
The question of the day is how do you have the stamina, faith, and roots to pursue the greater good without burning out, leaving nothing in the tank for yourself, and giving up in despair? How do you stay healthy in taking care of yourself without losing the attitude that treats your life as a ministry resource over which you have been given stewardship to do great things for God? And from there, how do you convince others – your closest friends and family, your church, your government, and society as a whole -- to forsake individual and immediate pleasures for communal and eternal ones?
Again, I complete a blog with more questions than answers. I am guilty on both sides – of taking myself too seriously and of not taking myself seriously enough. Whether resting of striving, whether looking out for myself or for something greater than me, may I be grounded in God’s will for my life, living a life that is honorable and worthy of His presence in me.
Call me naïve, but though I believe in the inherent sinfulness of man, I also believe that we humans also have in us capacity and desire to do good. All things being equal, if given a chance between doing good and doing harm, most of us would choose the former.
But not all things are equal. Competing for the greater good all too often is the perception and/or the reality of the individual good. Warring factions in Iraq, uncertain that their individual causes will thrive or even survive in the new regime, are withholding their vital verbal support in order to safeguard a place of importance and power. Nationally, Kerry and Bush are lining up their support base, cutting deals now with key constituencies that one of them will have to follow through on from 2005 to 2008, regardless of whether or not it is good for the country as a whole. And locally, politicians are haggling over whether or not to give Comcast a sweet tax break to keep them in the city, rather than taking the time to push through tax reform that will make the city a great place for all businesses to locate.
But let’s not point fingers outwards when there’s so much in our own hearts that condemn us. More often than not, we cannot plead ignorance – not that it’s a legitimate defense, anyway -- when it comes to what lives we ought to live for the greater good of a just society. We know what are the important things we ought to safeguard – good schools, safe neighborhoods, and a corruption-free political system, for example – yet we seldom choose to sacrifice individual comfort for societal progress.
Such is the dilemma of the urban Christian. It is vital that she tend to her own needs, without which burnout is likely and a self-important martyrdom role dangerously easy to take on. And yet it is a subtle thing to forgo being poured out in the service of others and the greater good for a life that does not stick its neck out and takes care of its own.
The question of the day is how do you have the stamina, faith, and roots to pursue the greater good without burning out, leaving nothing in the tank for yourself, and giving up in despair? How do you stay healthy in taking care of yourself without losing the attitude that treats your life as a ministry resource over which you have been given stewardship to do great things for God? And from there, how do you convince others – your closest friends and family, your church, your government, and society as a whole -- to forsake individual and immediate pleasures for communal and eternal ones?
Again, I complete a blog with more questions than answers. I am guilty on both sides – of taking myself too seriously and of not taking myself seriously enough. Whether resting of striving, whether looking out for myself or for something greater than me, may I be grounded in God’s will for my life, living a life that is honorable and worthy of His presence in me.
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