Who Really Does Know How to Really Deal with Life, Anyway?
- pg. 134-139 ("The Brilliance of Jesus: One final look," ending at "The Law and the Soul")
In this section, Willard points out the fact that in our modern world, hardly anyone (and (and he includes professing Christians in this category, disturbingly) associates Jesus with intelligence or competence. Being considered "smart" in our world is to be seen as one who can effectively deal with life as it "really is," and Willard points out that very few see Jesus as someone who has the knowledge and skill to to do this. I don't have too much to comment on with this, but just wanted to pose a few questions to help us come to grips with who we have seen as "smart" in our lives. - 1. Who do we think of when we hear the word "smart," "intelligent," or "competent"?
- 2. Who have we looked to and learned from in dealing with "life as it really is," as Willard puts it?
3. If we are to make progress towards giving Jesus this primary position in our minds, what will that look like? What steps do we need to make to lay a solid foundation to be His disciples?
I included a cover of Economist Magazine, because this is a publication that I frequently look to as an "intelligent" source of information about current events. I'm going to mull over how I can demonstrate in my life that I truly believe Jesus' thoughts on current events is much more intelligent and competent than anything I could read in Economist.
Don’t know if I really think of any one person or few people when I think of intelligence, other than the familiar by-names: Bill Gates (though that’s a bit of a joke now that I’m a committed Mac user), Stephen Hawking, Albert Einstein. I can think of quite a few of my superior officers when I was in the Army who somehow seemed to know everything about everything, at least as it related to their job (and mine).
ReplyDeleteMy question for myself as I read this section (and other sections where Willard has brought this up) was, perhaps somewhat obviously, do I think of Jesus as “the smartest person who ever lived,” as Willard has called him previously? Unfortunately, I have to answer no. I don’t believe I think of him as incompetent or pathetic – I certainly hope I don’t – but he’s not the first one I think of when considering science or any other field of knowledge in our world.
Fortunately, I think, I can answer the second question a bit better. In dealing with life as it really is, I have had to rely on no one but Jesus again and again. Moving around with the Army has left me with little time at each stop to really find a mentor, so I feel like most of my guidance and support has been ultimately on God “directly”. Prayer, reading (Scriptures and other books), and then the fellowship I’ve enjoyed have all been ways that God has directed my steps. I know a mentor/mentee relationship is a very valuable thing, and I certainly long for one, but not having one in a sense has reminded me more quickly to go first to God in prayer for life guidance.
I think prayer is probably what this would look like. “Pray without ceasing,” “practicing God’s presence,” and other similar concepts I think are getting at what truly knowing God and His Son as the most intelligent being in the universe would look like. Anyone there yet? I certainly am not. And on goes the journey and adventure of our relationship with the Creator of the universe…
Competent, intelligent Christians?
ReplyDeleteIn the past, I might have relegated that combination of words to the top of the oxymoron pile... along with military intelligence, etc. (sorry Bryan). And, while Willard's description of Jesus as the smartest and most informed man who ever lived still jolts me, I now know that it's true. I am happy to acknowledge Jesus as brilliant... even in our puny, earthly matters.
Yet, I can name lots of people I have looked up to and learned from along my journey. Some of them I definitely considered smarter than Jesus about dealing with "life as it really is"... I mean, can Jesus teach me how to design a building? Parent? Start a business? Ride a bike? Rollerblade? Run 100 miles? Well, I didn't turn to him in these matters until I had an emergency... Then, as Bryan said, I NEEDED HIM!
These days I don't wait. I ask Him first. And, as a result of consulting Him, my vision of "life as it really is" has changed...