The Basis of All Things is Tragic

"TheBasis of things is tragic , and intellect makes a man shut his eyes to this fact and become a superior person. One of the great crimes of intellectual philosophy is that it destroys a man as a human being and turns him into a supercilious spectator; he cuts himself off from relationship with human stuff as it is and becomes a statue."

Oswald Chambers
Baffled to Fight Better pg.124-125

The Realization of the Basis of things is tragic both explains the need for Jesus Christ in this world as well as the need that all things need not be perfect all the time or blissful. I appreciate the observation of Chambers in his understanding that suffering goes beyond theology and takes a man like Job or the sufferer to the point of realizing that the only thing that can stand in this situation is realtionship in knowing that Gods will always be. There is a freedom in knowing that not all my days will be roses but God however can come on and transform a day set for darkness to be a day of light by his will not my own. My only will is faith that he is able to do it and trust in His name. Being a former intellectual minded person I have had to lay rest rational and accept the realistic. Not all things are rational but all things are realistic. I cannot explain why atoms split or what elements make up an atom or which came first the chicken or the egg? Ha! that was thhrown in for comedic pleasure. But what I can believe is that there is a great work at work and that work I cannot always fathom and explain. Chambers says that man is so attached to his own theology of who God is that is is willing to Lie in order not to dishonour God or what his belief in who he is. In otherwords we daily have concepts in our minds that are not shaped by the scriptures that we begin to create a God we feel we must defend. Our Humanistic qualities or our faith in Secular Humanism get us to believe that there has to be an answer to all things. In this we create a God that fits the argument to as not to bring dishnour to the God that we created and therefore shake our faith. A very powerful argument. Job was never shaken. His belief was that God and his relationship to him was 1st not second to his theology. A theology that his friends held above their relationship and would not let go whereas Job once held dear to the same theology now through his suffering realized that he must believe in the simpliest of God's promises not the most complex of explaination and theological religious view. A supreme battle fought and won and a great reward given for Job for this. He was not refined. He was an object the Lord used to show the Church and it choice for Theological over relationship.

Why this example of Job? I find that the Church many times conflicts with this message. Chambers says the Secular Humanism is Satanism with a mask. I do believe this stament to be true. The idea of self is the soul basis of Satanism as well as Humanism and Spritualism. All the same belief with a different mask. So if the basis of all things is Tragic why so optimistic. Because Jesus is the only one that can break that Tragedy or at least explain it.

"...Shallow optimism is as telling people "look on the bright side of things," or that every cloud has a silver lining. There are some clouds that are black all through." -Chambers

An exceptance of this brings a reality that we cannot always be happy we cannot always be optimistic. But my Joy comes from Christ which is apart from the logical and rational sense of the world. In essense my belief in him has given me a realistic outlook that is not optimistic, but realistic. Realistic to know that God can do all things in his will. His plan nor his love will ever faulter and his love does endure forever. In this my optiimism does not come from shallow observation, or shallow logic. But true and unfailing belief in Christ. When our belief comes from Realism people see that we are real and not religious statues with no mind. We simply understand that the God we serve is real so in that we understand that he is real others will realize the same fact. Many spiritualist and Secular humanist have found themselves in the church leading or teaching and some playing the part in a christian church. Misrepresenting like Eliphaz and Bildad did. Comforting or defending in the name of their named theology. I have been guilty of this myself. Not realizing the unfathomable things of God that Job had through his suffering accepted. He was not a man refined by suffering. He was already stated by God to be a man that would face and be tested and persevere. I do not believe God would have test Job in such a manner without already knowing the outcome. So Jobs trails was a testimony written to show hipocracy of the church and theological and religious, pious and what Chambers calls Priggish. I feel slightly harsh but through his Passion the Love of God is not the love of man's the rational love and realistic love that God shows cannot be explained with logic or rational but only by a true realtionship to God himself.

Reflection:
Do we suffer for the sake of others or for self? I have asked this many times it reminds me of the dramatic interlude people crying over spilt milk to see who might help to clean it up. We do it many times. Manipulation in the name of wanting others to come to our rescue. We know we could accomplish the task on our but when posed with the idea that others might do it for us we fail to do anything about it. That suffering is for the sake of self. The suffering based on suffering for others is done in darkness. Very seldomly there is crying or at least no report of it. The ones who suffer in darkness are seldomly the first in line to speak but the first with an open ear. Why? Relationship. Realationship to Christ because of their suffering and becasue of their Adversity in that suffering. Through Christ and not in self.

Suffering is not about crying, weeping or mourning always. Though Job cried out against the very day he was born. Many times in this world it is quiet and unheard. Attraction to destruction or poison to the mind or body. Ilimationation of Self worth and therefore destruction of self. This results in destructive living, pain not willed to endure or not meant for you, as well as hate of ourselves or God.

The key word is self. An over exposition of self. Over endulgence brings depression, hate, anger, antimosity, self futilism and a Empirilistic view that cannot be penetrated except by the very hand of God. Even that must be willing by the person before that can be accomplished.

What is the point? The point simply is that all things in suffering, in self indulgence might all have explaination. But when God comes in a manner that we are not ready for yet is reflected is what we already to be known in the scriptures as true will we run away, deny or accept like Job did that God must not be as everyone is saying but as God himself has said. I will have faith in what God has said and believe in him and his truth and deny all the rest and know that though he slay me,
I trust in him.

The Basis of all things is Tragic. This happened with Adam ate from the Apple and the world that God had beset for man was turned upside down. From then all that was born was Tragic (dead) without Christ. As Christians and people of this world we must realize that all things are Tragic. Birth to many is Tragic. How many times have you heard in troubled times or by Futilist. "Well another beautiful child born is a miserable world." or something to that effect. It is quite simple to see the unhappiness of this world if you leave your house, city, town or state now and then. You will see that not all things are roses not all clouds have a silver lining. There is not always a light at the end of the Tunnel. But there is always the light and the Truth of Jesus Christ. Which luckily by all human standards has no standards, no rational or logic so therefore no boundaries and noone can speak against that which they cannot comprehend. Even if they try the word of God himself not the christian himself will be proven true..

"O Lord deliver me from this lust of always vindicating myself." - St. Augustine