Authority

What makes all humans so rebellious? Just the thought of someone unusual being in authority over me makes my defenses get up! I hate to have anyone but me tell me what to do. I might sometimes beneficently allow someone else to give me orders, but even then most of the time I’m inwardly rebelling.

Sometimes I cry out to God in a self-dissatisfied, anguished voice, “I don’t know why I’m so rebellious?”

And He always answers right away, “Why are you asking this when you already know the answer.”

I’ve asked this question so many times before, like somehow the answer will change, as if I was some perfect creature with only momentary slips of behavior. But I’m not. I’m always rebellious, and my humanity will always want to fight against the authority that is over me. But God said in His Word that there is no power or authority that exists that God does not want there.

“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.” –Romans 13:1-2

I keep on forgetting that, and think that these authorities that are over me are wrong, that they should be rebelled against. But I keep on forgetting that if God does not like the people who are in power—whether its your government or your boss or your parent—God will take care of the situation. And that, almost always, has nothing to do with me… and I thank God for that! In fact, God wants us to do anything and everything to prayerfully keep the authorities in godly, just power.

The next verse in Romans, like so many parts in Scripture, is very encouraging, and I think it’s great to end on.

“For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended.”

 

Shalom

An Update

Hello everyone! I’m so sorry that I haven’t posted as much as I should! I have been wanting to post—almost all of the time, when I think of it, I want to post! But I feel like I don’t have anything to say. So if you don’t mind, I’ll try to be sending out post of random thoughts and disconnected ideas… also, I can’t really make this too long!

I have been on several “vacations” this summer—actually they were all in the last couple of weeks. We went to the Botanical gardens that are in town, and we went to this lake place that was pretty close to us, and then we went to Taos, New Mexico (I live in New Mexico, by the way) and from there we went to see the Gorge that’s really close to it, and then today, we went to Santa Fe and the farmers market there. And something I saw in each place was more and more evidence of how marvelous God’s Creation is! I wish I could have stayed in each place so much long then I did, but we could all see God’s handiwork so very prevalent in these places. I’ll put a few photos on to show you some of what I saw…

The photo above is the lovely lake that my family went to… it was truly beautiful and very relaxing to just sit and watch the dragonflies and and water lilies and the rippling water…

This picture is one I took of a beautiful stream in the Japanese section in the Botanical Gardens…

And this is a sweet butterfly in another part of the Botanical Gardens. I especially loved going in this section, because it has an enormous amount of peace inside of the Butterfly Pavilion. It is absolutely necessary to slow down and pause for breath when you are in there. And most of the time, I feel like talking in a whisper too.

And this is the Gorge. This picture (and every other picture I took) does not do justice to the splendor and beauty of this amazing sight. The river that is running down it is the Rio Grande, and when I took this picture we were standing on a bridge that is far above the river bed. The whole sight is grand, magnificent and frightening; when you look down from the bridge, your eyes can’t at first take it all in. You sort of have to look at one section, and then let your eyes rove across from cliff edge to running river to another cliff.

 

 

 

Well, I have to go in a moment, but I just wanted to say a few things about these marvelous places that I went to.

Have you ever been to a place like that Butterfly Pavilion or the lake? A place where you have to stop and think and look around and simply have to pay attention to God’s world? I find that these places are so rare that one has to make the best of them when you are there. I encourage you to find such a place, to find a place which you can hear God’s voice just a little bit clearer. And stay there for a little while. Listen to Him. He really wants to talk to you. And, just the other day, someone on the “Daily Audio Bible” that I listen to said something about how God loves His people through His creation, such as animals or through the very peace of a lovely landscape. I’m saying it in a kind of weird way, but I think I agree with the man who said it. I think God really does love us through His creation.

But I really have to go now. I’ll try to post more, because I really want to. I just really need to find more moments of peace in which to write.

 

Shalom