This past weekend, I spoke and led several workshops at a camp for youth in the Mid-west. It was a glorious three days capped off by a spectacular fireworks display over a nearby lake.
Many minutes passed as we awed over the impressive pyrotechnics show the sponsors had put together. Crowds clapped at the bursting colors and flaming rockets of light jetting in all directions. The weather was perfect. The temperature was ideal. The setting was idyllic. As I watched and participated, I made a gratitude list of all the blessings I had witnessed that weekend and would take home with me.
But as the immense celebration continued, I glanced about and noticed a lone young man standing near me, with hands in his pockets, standing tall and erect, crew cut, and deep in thought. I did not know this young lad personally, but I did know he was headed to military training, and then presumably off to fight in the Mid-East war.
It was a very sobering moment.
I pondered what might be going through his thinking.
We were watching harmless fireworks in the sky designed to entertain. He might have been pondering real bombs bursting above his head, tanks firing, bullets whizzing by, grenades being lobbed, and how he might have to escape such dire scenes.
Suddenly, I was not so interested in the fireworks anymore. I wanted to mine this ironic setting for spiritual lessons.
I thought about times in life when a person might think they are doing the most important activity of all, but standing right next to them is someone in far greater need.
For example, we race to the grocery store, feeling pressed for time, running down the aisles gathering our items in hopes we’ll get home in time to cook dinner for the family, but in our rush fail to notice another shopper, also thinking about their family, but also crumbling under the fear of some disease. Or, we fret and fume over how to get the bills paid, but a neighbor down the street is losing their home because their bills are not paid at all.
Now, I don’t believe in getting down on ourselves, and I did not. But standing next to this military recruit, and knowing I would fly home safely to Washington State, and he would, in a few months, likely head to Iraq, was a call to further action for me, that it’s very important to consider our neighbor’s needs and be there to help.
And I do help. I’ve devoted my life to helping others. I believe most all of us are quick to help our neighbor in need when we can. And that is very good.
But I took a moment to pray for this boy. I blessed him with the truth that wherever he went, he would be going in the presence of God, and that the divine presence would protect him from harm. That he was loved, cared for, watched over and protected at all times, and that he would feel, know and experience safety whether driving down the streets of a large city in the USA, or walking down the streets of an Iraqi town with a rifle in his hands.
We did not know each other personally, and I wasn’t sure exactly what the facts were concerning his future, so I didn’t speak directly to him, although, maybe I should have. But I did give him a big metaphysical spiritual hug and still think of him as armored and shielded in Love.
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Matthew
Thank you, Evan. This blog opened my eyes to all the good I have been doing. I have been aware of struggles and challenges people have been facing and I have helped in the best way I could. I just didn’t see it until I read this blog.
I’m more grateful than ever for all of the trials and challenges I have faced, because they have made me aware of what others go through and how I can help.
Amen! Thanks for sharing.
🙂 thanks for sharing. it was a great weekend, thanks for supporting it!
Thanks Evan! What a great reminder of our most important daily task. We have so much good to share with others and should always embrace that.
If this young man were to have to go in the heat of battle, and God is with him, but God does not know or see war, then where are they together?
If war is unreal, and therefore a dream that we need to waken from, why are so many living and having the same dream?
Lastly, why can’t the power of God take us out of this dream altogether?
Is it cowardly not to go? Why go into a dream? Why would anyone identify themselves as a soldier, if they don’t want to participate in a dream of unreality?
I assume the young man enlisted in the service, since there is no draft in the USA. He went by choice, so obviously he was impelled by some moral and spiritual vision he had to act in this way as a way of helping out in the world. I respect that and honor his choice.
I doubt he’s thinking in terms of going to war, but more from the point of view of being of service. That is an admirable motive.
You say “war is unreal.” That is a bizarre kind of statement out of context. Yes, in heaven, in spiritual reality there is no war. But to the human mind, war seems a very real thing and has to be dealt with. This young man is working at it from where his understanding is on how to deal with it. We all have to work from where our understanding is.
I pray that Love protects and guides him, and all soldiers on the war front, helping one and all see that truly, the resolution to war is not ultimately found in guns and bullets, but in Love lived and expressed. In the meantime though, while this ideal is being worked out, we need policemen and servicemen/women to maintain a semblance of peace that allows the larger demonstration to be worked out as fast as humanity can accept it.
Your comments to the blogger above about stating that his comments were bizarre and out of context seemed a little harsh. This is what we all deal with daily. The hideous forms of error that are thrown at us constantly seem very real and yet Christian Scientists the world over state “God doesn’t know it” or “it’s just unreal, there is no truth to it”. To those of us fighting and dying out here, God does seem kind of remote sometimes. I understand fully this is where our own understanding comes in that we, by degree, start to see the unreality of the human condition, but what of the seeming overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Is it that individual a thing? I don’t know, your blog about the people feeding each other seemed more like it for me, we have to come out and be separate but there is a lot of misunderstanding about Christian Science and the bloggers’ comments you responded to were pretty typical of what is out there and I just think we somethimes we need more explanation, which you did and much thanks…. Wait a minute, you do get it and are rebuking the thought coming from many of us, how we were taught, Right? Sorry, sometimes it takes me a minute to see the real message here. Hopefully your blogger will too. Thanks again for the insight.
To anon above,
Yes, I can see you think, reason and figure things out as you comment! A thought in process in print, if you will…I can accept that.
Yes, I was pushing back on the out of the blue statement “war is unreal” because that just doesn’t make sense thrown out like that. People wonder, “What are they talking about?”
I disagree that most CSsts speak that way. I would hope that most prepare their listener for absolute truths like that. It’s necessary. Jesus did. He used parable, stories, tales to explain deep metaphysical truths. We must too.
In absolute Truth, there is no evil. But the human mind needs to work this out in degrees. We must know these absolute truths in our prayers, but when tossing them out to public thought, they need to be explained so they make sense.
Hope that helps…
I do this on occassion when I respond to your blog and usually erase and start over. This time I didn’t because in my circle, The Midwest there is so much of the absolute being thrown around with no real regard to the metapysics behind the comment. Principia College, my alma mater is going through some tough challenges, the CS churches I attend have the aroma of a deadness you refer to in your last blog. In fact, your blog is the only place I currently find the Truth. Is it a limted view, perhaps, but I continue to find CS more outside the “religion” than in it. That was my point and I am glad you disagree because it gives me hope and encouragement for our movement. In fact it makes me look for the good from God’s eye’s (my reflection of him) and will lead to more healing in this area. Thanks.