Intern Update: Mr. Seymour (Part 2 of 2)
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The
last month has been absolutely amazing in so many ways and God has truly shown
that He works in the lives of those who love Him and are called to His work.
I’ve
spent the last few weeks trying to wrap my head around international human
rights law. The more I wrap the further
I discover that I need to stretch. Much
occurs that needs to be made right and many are the ways in which that right
can be seen—or in many cases out of sight.
What do you do when you see a problem so large that the more you look at
it the more it appears too big to solve?
Often
this thought has occurred to me. Surprisingly,
the answer is much simpler than it seems.
We have to look away from ourselves and turn our focus to Him. My father-in-law has a great term for the tendency
we all have to focus on ourselves in life.
He calls it “navel gazing.”
Inherent
in thoughts of how we can’t solve an overwhelmingly large problem in this world
is that the power to do so might somehow be vested in the individual, or in
some cases a multitude of men. The
focus, the power, the strength is then the source of man and not of Him. How do we break the tendency to “navel gaze”
when overwhelmed with sin in this world that crushes the heart, that makes us
feel it, I mean really feel it?
“The
sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast,
immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in
the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
(1 Cor. 15:56-58).
“Be
watchful, stand firm in the faith,
act like men, be strong. Let
all that you do be done in love.” (1
Cor. 16:13-14).
Maybe
the fix for this feeling of helplessness in the face of such sin is to remember
that our Lord has called us to the FIGHT, the VICTORY He has already given to
us. The problem isn’t always ours to
solve, but ours to labor with, our opportunity to remain steadfast and
immovable while we abound in the work of our Lord—work that will never be in
vain. Maybe it’s our chance to reconcile
Romans and James. Remember that, because
the enemy will take every chance he can to steal it from you.
Embrace
the thought of VICTORY. Learn to love
the fight. What good would victory be if we didn’t feel a little bit of what it takes to
taste it? It has to be real for us. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be worth
anything. Stand firm and be strong. The next time you feel like the mountain is
too much to scale, remember that we’re already at the top. What we’re seeing now, what we’re feeling
now, is a first-person view of the ascent.
PS. This is the part where I tell
everyone how awesome my wife is and how much I love her. She’s amazing, just saying.
- Mr. Seymour, 7/23/12
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