pragmatic jalinda
by Elizabeth DeBarros
“Granted, the mirror has only one crack and it’s in the corner, but I still could not live with this imperfection.
I also could not throw away a perfectly good mirror,
so there had to be a clever way to save it.”-Jalinda
If you don’t know what a pragmatist is, then most likely you are one. To some extent, we all are. And if there’s one thing pragmatists the world over have in common, it’s the desire to make something work.
You know the drill. Bigger is better. More is more. Plugging up holes and putting out fires. Git-r-done. Pragmatism is so much more than this, really, but this is what it looks like wearing a baseball cap.
To be fair, resourcefulness can be a virtue, but only up to a point. Overripe apples are great for making a tasty batch of applesauce, but there is a terminal ill no amount of human cure can remedy. Big sin, little sin, sin is sin, and the blackest of sin does not respond to a coat of paint. Or tail feathers. Morals do not save. No one is good. There is no hiding from the eye of Him to Whom we must give account.
To those who think they can accomplish spiritual goals by natural means, think again. As the prophet says:
“What will you do in the end?”
-Jeremiah 5:31
We live in a moment on the timeline when the crack in the glass has not only widened but also lengthened and multiplied. Where anarchy is a song and nihilism is broadcast from T-shirts worn by children too young to drive. Where meaninglessness is served with toast points among the elite, promoted as fine art. Knowledge abounds, but truth falters in the streets. Justice? Feed the poor, but please, no talk about offending a holy God, lest it bother someone. We’re a fractured generation living in the midst of horrible consequence. The land of Sin, a banished country.
What to say to those who want out?
First, I’d tell them Christianity is not a quick fix. Then I’d say something like this:
There is an eternal God Who dwells in unapproachable light,¹ and He sits on an eternal throne in heaven, arrayed in majesty. He is the Everlasting Father, Creator of the universe, Who, from the beginning, has ordained all that is seen and unseen. He is the Provider of creatures both great and small, of them that fly above the earth and of those that crawl upon and under the earth and they that swim in the ocean deep. Through His Son, Jesus Christ, the One and Only, He sustains every atom of matter by His powerful word.² Not a jot or tittle goes unobserved from His all-seeing eye. And He is not weak, as though He needed anything. In fact, in Him we live and move and have our being.³ He knows that we are but dust, yet He does not treat us as our sins deserve.
How can this be?
What kind of God would allow so much evil?
Why does He frustrate feeble, sincere men in their attempts to succeed?
Why so much difficulty?
No, sir. Christianity is not for me.
Yes, this God insults man’s intelligence, diminishes his strength, thwarts his purposes and catches the wise in their craftiness.
Why?
Christianity is not a quick fix, nor is it a method or a movement. I daresay, it is not even a religion, as if it were a decision based upon human will or ancestry. Neither is it escapism, a subculture, counterculture or an alternative lifestyle.
Beyond description, Christianity is a word that escapes the eloquence of man. Though admirable attempts have been made by many, I won’t try. But this I will say: It’s not a 12-step program, a Get Out of Jail Free card or a 7-step plan to a happier you.
Christianity is a Man. And unto this Man there must be an abandonment of all other trusts.
Jesus Christ and Him crucified is the response of God to the problem of sin, the exact satisfaction of God’s wrath and the only hope for mankind’s abject ruin, total inability and plight of eternal condemnation. He is the very expression of God’s glory and kindness and unto Whom the only right response is to believe in Him by forsaking your idols, confessing and repenting from your sin and being converted, that you might find refreshing in Him.⁴
In Christ, a glorious new birth awaits.
There is some of the pragmatist in all of us, I’m convinced, and only through the well-trained, Spirit-filled Christian mind are we able to begin to break free from its grip.
God doesn’t need permission from His creation to act. He does not depend on anyone or anything and He does not yield His glory to another, for from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. His purposes are set high above the heavens, made manifest on the earth below upon the ever-unfolding plotline of history. And we are but His lowly subjects, whether we believe in Him or not. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Lord of Jalinda, pragmatists all.
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
-Acts 4:12
I was listening to a Jim McClarty sermon this morning and he remarked, “The id is corrupt.” Man tries to be the captain of his own ship in the futility of his thinking, but our God, who is sovereign, will not share His glory with anyone. We strive and strive to not surrender to the only One who has power to save us, or to cast us into hell. The animals trust Him, but we think we know better. The angels must be amazed and perplexed at why God chose us to be the recipients of His Holy Spirit!
“Yes, this God insults man’s intelligence, diminishes his strength, thwarts his purposes and catches the wise in their craftiness.” Not because He’s a blustering browbeater, but because He’s our ONLY HOPE, because we remain blind despite sin’s evidence, remain helpless and mortal amidst all our noble and heroic efforts to outlive death, remain so darn good and bad in our deadly sinfulness, and because He deserves our utmost for His Glory! He has paid the highest price to redeem that which He deserves! Who can rightly understand it?
You did it again. You made me think! Blessings!
This post fills me with joy and sorrow at the same time – joy that here is laid out for us a vision of God and Christ which is so rich, so humbling, so awe-inspiring; and sorrow that this vision is simply not preached in the vast majority of churches.
“God doesn’t need permission from His creation to act. He does not depend on anyone or anything and He does not yield His glory to another.” Amen! Beautiful, comforting truth to rest in. He does all things for the sake of the praise of His own Name, even our tests and trials are for His own sake that He will not be defamed (Isa 48:10-11).
Bless you, E, for such a rich, meaty post.
Beautifully written and communicated…the essence of “He is big…I am small”…you are so right — “God doesn’t need permission from His creation to act.” He is in control…and to that I say “thank you, Lord.”
Bless you, my sister…May He richly bless you. ~love you.
Thanks for the comments, everyone, I appreciate the feedback.
Roxy,
You bless me with your edge of steel! You said, “The animals trust Him, but we think we know better.” How often our intelligence gets in the way!
Petra,
I may have made you think some, but if I had to surmise, you’ve already been thinking! Love what all you’ve got to say, sister.
Diana,
You wrote, “…joy that here is laid out for us a vision of God and Christ which is so rich, so humbling, so awe-inspiring; and sorrow that this vision is simply not preached in the vast majority of churches.”
How you carry the burdens of His heart!
Re,
Thank you for reading my post without being prompted! Love you!
Dear Friend, I loved the way you said it, “Christianity is a word that escapes the eloquence of men” so true. There are no eloquent words to explain Jesus bearing my guilt on the cross; and rising from the death victoriously.
I pray I may abandon all other trusts.
Much love!
These last few years I have been experiencing a real “rough patch.” (That’s a socially mollifying euphemism for bone pressing, mind-bending, body slamming, life-altering events that come like waves on a tsunami). After having exhausted all questioning, or all applications of my own plannings, abilities and my “git-r-done-ism,” my freedom came in complete release to say:
Highest Lord of Heaven, Almighty God,
Honor, praise be to your Name,
Holy Savior enthroned above all earth,
Hope for deliverance, Reign!