We live in a world which tells us to do what is right for us, to make life choices on the basis of what makes us happy or works for ourselves. The great irony however is that we can never make our own life choices without it having domino impact on others. In the bible there is no such thing as "a private life" (1 Sam 16:7, Psalm 139:13-14). The living God looks at the heart, and to him our identity, character and inmost being are an open book 24/7.
Although individualism is as old as Adamic sin itself, the assertion that it is a human right to be so is very much a foundational premise of the 21st century. We live in an individualistic culture, which has been fuelled by materialism. We are somewhat a product of our age that has asserted that what we buy defines us, and that true freedom of choice has brought us into greater liberty. Our supermarket shelves are stacked with multiple brands of the same item. Our online car hypermarkets ask us to prescribe in micro-detail which model, trim, colour, engine type, charge type, battery type of hybrid we "need". This is at the same time as the government tries to legislate how our previous generational choices (to drive diesel, fly international, package with plastic, eat too much steak, and use our heating) should be paid for by the next generation.
It begs the question... "do we still see the freedom to chose as an intrinsically good thing ?"
One of the most revealing conversations of the last 24 -48 hours has been the aftermath of the horrific and incomprehensibly sorrowful events at a Christian school in Nashville. There on Monday children Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, along with three adults Cynthia Peak (61), Katherine Koonce (60), and Mike Hill (61) died.
As it emerged that seven weapons had been legally bought with the right/ freedom to bear arms (and all stashed secretly in the parents house by the 28 year old), some took to twitter and social media to complain that some of us were not using the right preferred personal pronoun to describe the one who committed the act of murder. In the hierarchy of catastrophe, it struck me as an odd priority and perverse perspective. Is this really the greatest issue of the presenting situation ? However, this is the illogical place you get to when you decide that everyone has freedom to define and chose.
In short, the reality is that all our choices impact others. Mental health when idolised and prioritised to the place of ultimate master (do what only makes you happy) ironically causes much sadness for ourselves and others. We are the first generation to expect perfect health, happiness and no suffering as a right. Expecting to get everything in life to streamline with my choice reveals how arrogant our age has become. Past generations died young, many in childbirth, and there are some realities which cannot be changed by choice. Many millions in generations past had no expectation of perfect happiness, early retirement, or right to buy property, yet societies worked cooperatively under legal structures which protected. They did so under the basic premise that to live together there needs to be some order. Today we prioritise rights to be unprotected and unrestricted, but so sadly are the ramifications and results on the impact of our society. Just because we have greater life expectancy of course doesn't mean that we'll naturally use that extended time wisely or that society will be better. Just because we treat the world to our elongated presence will not necessarily imply the world will be a better place to live.
In God's good order however there is protection and rescue. The 10 commandments were given in love to protect society and humanity following the rescue of a loving God. They prioritise our understanding of God, the order of goodness in life under his loving care. They are not merely recommendations or suggestions for life, but boundaries from the makers handbook, in which we are led to enjoy the covenant mercy, forgiveness, grace and salvation of the one whose character they summarise and point to. Romans 8:28-30 outlines the fact that God's rescue has been ordered. Orders are not always bad, and freedom is not always good. Freedom to reject God's way (His defined natural order) never leads anywhere good.
No comments:
Post a Comment