The Redemption of the Fall; the redemption of it All

I love the musically-talented sounds of Jon Foreman, Andrew Belle, and Coldplay.  I love dancing, running, moving.  I love taking pictures, I love engaging in deep and intellectual conversations.  I love dressing up and dancing in high heels (can you say sassy?)… I love all things dainty & wish I could live in an Anthropologie store.

We were made in God’s image, we were made to move.

I love dancing.

I love yoga & moving.

Can we redeem the image of our bodies (our soul-keepers) from the connotation hell that society has twisted?

All of these things come to have a redemptive quality in my mind.  If I listen to Jon Foreman song and am inspired to follow God more closely and look over an area of my life that I hadn’t noticed was out of line with my faith, than I know that to be redemptive.  Where it crosses the line (even if he is a “christian artist”) is if I obsess over the song, if I obsess over the lyrics, if I obsess over Jon Foreman and his great hair or great religion.  The earth-ridden quality that comes across here is one stemming from the corruptive nature of self-glorification.  And with respect to the things of this world, these are the limits that I have noticed in my life that can set me up for closeness versus separation with Jesus—reminding myself that He is the things that give Him the glory are the things I may invest in.

Yes, I believe we can love things besides God—because “every good and perfect gift is from above” and so by loving these things, we appreciate and praise God for His creation, and in doing so, love Him.  (James 4:8)

I believe we can dislike things too.

I dislike first impressions, facades, curse words, drugs, and all things that can hurt people.  I dislike Pain (but who doesn’t?)

So Pain + Suffering are something all together inclusive to the world we know today.  And that is a result of the Fall that came with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (see Genesis 3).  This is an event that is paramount to the human condition.  God intended for the world to scream His name in all ways and through all things.  I believe the world still does so through the beautiful mountains, sunsets, love, relationships, family, you name it.  But there is something very present that came because of the Fall.  Almost as present as God among us, but not quite, by the grace of God.  This is a little something I have come to know as Pain, Suffering, Evil.

Why doesn’t this make sense? Why do I feel this way? Does God really love me? Why would He let this happen? Hard questions.  These are hard pressing questions that everyone will undoubtedly face in their lives.  They may come across the surface of your soul and leave without being penetrated or probed, but I believe they are fundamental. They are fundamental to meditate upon and investigate in, to properly address the condition of our souls and how pain, suffering, and evil affect us. 

The thing is—I think there is something here. Something in our dislikes, in our discomfort, in our awkward tension that helps define our human fragility.

Taking it a step further: pain, suffering, and evil all help describe our need for a Savior.

The Internet: full of life-giving inspiration & heart-wrenching poison at the same time.  We can hear of the birth of a new relative in the family on our Facebook page and the next minute a scandal on the trafficking of women comes up on the news—how can this be?

This is very open-ended and I do not have all the answers.  I await the Day when the full truth, that is now partially concealed, will be fully revealed.  Until then I remain in Hope.

Hope that God is working all things together for His good (Romans 8:28).

Hope that in the everyday-ness of life, and in the little things, I can see glimpses of that good and glory of His that is manifest in all living things.

Hope that I have a voice that can share the Good News and allow its transformative power to restore and redeem all that has been lost in translation. 

And in the end, He will have the victory, the Fall will be fully redeemed, and all Truth will be revealed.  Until then friends, soldier on in His name.

"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." 1 Corinthians 13:12