I always say “Happy New Year!”, but what if life’s true adventure is something far greater than “happy”?  See the column below and have a great 2023! - Bob

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Spirituality Column #842

January 3, 2023

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Life’s Adventure

By Bob Walters

“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.’” – God to Abram, Genesis 12:1

Religious or not – and I was not for most of my adult life – many folks are nonetheless familiar with the Bible’s great people and stories in the book of Genesis.

God’s Creation (Ch. 1), Adam and Eve (Ch. 2), Satan the Serpent and the Fall of Man (Ch. 3), Noah and the Flood (Ch. 6-9), the Tower of Babel (Ch. 11), Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and the Twelve Tribes of Israel (Ch. 12-50), Sodom and Gomorrah (Ch. 18-19), and Joseph in Egypt (Ch. 37-50) to me rate as the highlights.

My own experience of reading the Bible, and specifically Genesis, for the first time at age 47 was shocking for its familiarity, given that the Bible was a book I’d never read.  Through my prior education and copious general reading habits I had heard of most of the people and places of Genesis without knowledge of their origin, understanding of their context, or belief in the truth of God or authority of the Bible.

When God allowed the Holy Spirit to turn on the faith lights in my life (or, when I allowed them in, or however that worked), Genesis especially was a cornucopia of discovery; I knew those people and events.  I began to understand them.  In time, I saw the Bible’s overarching story of a good God establishing, loving, and saving humanity.

I had a philosophy professor in college who knew seemingly everything there was to know about various religions and scripture, but believed none of it.  He knew about God but did not know God.  We all know folks who condemn God for His righteousness, thereby blinding themselves to God’s purpose and the truth of what makes a human life truly rich.  There are a lot of very bright people missing out.

Here is a tremendous take on the story of Abraham as it relates to every person’s God-given opportunity and purpose.  It’s a statement not by a believer but by a famous contemporary psychologist, professor, best-selling author, and “non-woke” cultural icon.

Jordan Peterson clear-headedly said this in a brief but rapid-fire snippet online:       

“In the story of Abraham when …Abraham is perfectly happy staying in his father’s tent eating peeled grapes and having his diapers changed even though he’s 80 years old … And God calls him out to … to adventure.  Abraham encounters tyranny and starvation and war and conspiracy to steal his wife and his own proclivity to lie cowardly … and this is all like in the … that’s his first sequence of adventures.

“And you think well what the hell’s going on here?  It’s certainly not the case that God called [Abraham] out to be happy.  And I think the right moral to draw from that story is that God, so to speak, has called us out for something far greater than mere happiness … far, so much greater than happiness that happiness pales in comparison. 

“He’s called us out for the adventure of our life that’s of sufficient moral integrity to justify the suffering.  And that’s something … and if you tell people that, if you let them know that, you know, well, that makes them stand up and cheer, ay? Because they know that is true.”

“God has called us out for the adventure of our life.”  Let that lead us into 2023.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) has no doubt Peterson would be a great Christian.

Spirituality Column #400
July 15, 2014
Current in Carmel-Westfield-Noblesville-Fishers-Zionsville

By Bob Walters

Change is a desired and celebrated component of Christian life.

“Things that don’t change are dead,” the saying goes.  A rich, consequential Christian life necessarily will be filled with change – new challenges, new opportunities, new understandings, new missions, new people and often new places.  Some changes are desperately hard, challenging our faith and shaking our trust.  Some are so easy they undercut our faith by overwriting and obscuring our “need” for God.

A life of dull sameness, empty yearnings, or even recurring nightmares – but absent change – signals a hollow spot in the spirit.  Conversely, there is a sense of newness, mystery and adventure that accompanies one’s daily life trusting in Christ and growing in faith.  Change is hard to avoid; perseverance fills in the hollow spots.

Every time a believer goes to the Bible – the same old, unchanging Bible – he or she expects to see something new: a perspective previously not entertained, a phrase that comes alive, a connection formerly not noticed.  That’s growth, that’s change, that’s good … and that’s dependable.

“Consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds, because … testing of your faith develops perseverance,” says James 1:2-4.  Perseverance develops maturity, and in maturity, James adds, we know the joy of the Lord “not lacking anything.”

Change can be soothing or unnerving … often the latter.  Regardless, faith will help us find joy in the change, though joy is different from comfort and happiness.  “Not lacking anything” doesn’t mean “I get everything I want.”  We are to know and define joy in the completeness of our ability to focus on Christ and in our yearning to reflect and magnify the glory of God.

And that’s the point of the whole exercise: the unchanging glory, immensity, truth, love and completeness of God Almighty.  From the beginning, the actions of God’s Kingdom were assigned to God’s Light and Word, Jesus Christ.  The Holy Spirit’s job is to shine the light of God’s glory on Jesus Christ.  Our job as humans – if we allow ourselves to invite and listen to the Holy Spirit – is to change our fallen-world attitudes and worldly wicked hearts into divine-light homing beacons.  We also have a bigger job than that: understanding that it is our faith in Jesus Christ that glorifies God.

Fine and dandy that we are loved, saved, adopted, forgiven, welcomed into the Kingdom, seated on the throne, and will live forever amid the majesty of the One God Creator Almighty.  Amen!  But what we get, finally, isn’t the point.

God’s glory is the point.

And that does not change.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) knows “change” is a popular sermon subject.  Once you understand God’s glory is supreme … don’t change that.