What if there's a bigger picture?

These past several weeks I have been struggling with something that I hate.  I found myself thinking highly negative and critical thoughts toward others, nagging and resentment toward even loved ones.  Harboring and voicing distain toward others' wrongs.  It is difficult to see in yourself the very things you know is wrong, that you can so easily see in other people. 

I have been thinking about John 3:17 "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." At first, I said, how nice, thanks Jesus. I like to personalize God's word to me, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn Haley, but to save Haley through him."  Okay, save me from what? Well, that took me about 26 years to figure out. If Jesus did NOT come into the world to condemn (definition: to pronounce to be guilty; sentence to punishment) us, but to save (definition: to preserve something from harm, injury, loss, etc) us then what is it He is saving us from? Well, just what I stated above, my sin.  Not only the hateful thinking of today, but of all my past sin and future sin. He came for the rest of the world too, to save us from all the sin here on earth, one person at a time. 

In honor of Mother's Day, I want to illustrate what God is doing here.  When my little sister was younger, like 2 years old, she would get sick with ear infections or flu or something.  My mom would take her to the doctor who would perscribe some medicine.  It was always a liquid medication, and Aubrey would refuse to take it.  Mom knew it would help make her better, she pleaded and even at one point pinned her down to open her mouth to take it.  But Aubrey would just spit it right back up in her face!  That did not stop mom from desperately wanting Aubrey to agree to just swallow the medicine, knowing that it may not taste good right off, but would soon make her feel much, much better. 

When I finally agree to swallow my pride, and take in the love and grace of God in Jesus, I feel much better and stronger.

This came to light for me this week.  I am reading a book, Half the Sky, recommended by some ladies at our church and I quickly became critical, while overlooking the amazing job these authors put forth.  Some background, this married couple, journalists investigate and bring forth the stories of women in our world today in what can only be considered our society's slavery and modern slave trade.  Hundreds and thousands of women due to poverty or just in unsafe circumstances get tricked and sold into forced prostitution and are fiercely abused.  They also discuss issues in countries like China and India "disappearing women" phenomion.  One point the authors made confused me a little in his conclusion. 

In China, women are under so much pressure from their culture and economic situations, to have sons and not daughters, that at one point when given ultrasounds if they found that the baby was a girl they would select to have an abortion.  This is so sad, and a tragic problem because hundreds of girls were 'going missing' as the chapter first began in stating the problem of 'missing girls' So, regulations were made so that pregnant women were not allowed to know the gender of the child from the ultrasound.  Sadly, this has led to the problem of neglected and abadoned babies---girls, in China.  The author then insinuates that an easy solution to this would be to allow selective abortions......wait, what? Solve a problem with another problem? I felt this was a contradiction, and I get upset when people want to 'put bandaids over huge surgical wounds' so to speak.  Just wash your hands of it rather than looking at the root of the problem.  Now, the authors do spend time in other chapters doing just that, and they do talk about the heart of these issues and what we can do about it.  But in this instance, I did not like how they suggest to solve one problem by using another.  In these issues, I know there are no easy solutions.  This book illustrated and discussed openly many of the major sins that have taken hold in our society, but what I really liked about the book is the authors gave some redemption stories. 

One like Rath, a young Cambodian woman who went to Thailand thinking she was getting a job washing dishes and was instead forced into a brothel where she was betten, raped, and drugged routinuely.  After more than one attempt, she finally escaped and when she returned to Cambodia there was an aid group in place that was able to give her a $400 starter loan so that Rath could start her own small business selling drinks, snacks, and souvenirs to tourists at the Thai-Cambodian border walk. 

John 3:16 is a famous Bible quote, you might see it on billboards or shopping bags even. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

"For God so loved Haley...."
"For God so loved Zach..."
"For God so loved Dan...."
"For God so loved Rachael..."
"For God so loved Aubrey...."
"For God so loved Helen..."
"For God so loved Charlie...."
"For God so loved Atticus..."
"For God so loved Rath that he gave his one and only Son for her, that if Rath believes in him she shall not perish but have eternal life."

No matter where you are, what kind of culture you live in, and what status you have here, God desperately wants you.  And these women's stories remind me of how God loves each of us, and wants us to turn to Him.