Made Whole

Today I slept in to 8:30am or so. I spent some time in the front yard. I'm trying to re-condition it into an acceptable condition (to be worthy of the Mike Lee signs I got up). I'm annihilating dandelions as they come up. I also got the sprinkler going again. Our sprinkler system is long since defunct and we have to use one of those wave-over sprinklers.

After church we baked an apple pie, which I like (like most things) with an obscene amount of whipped cream. I spent the afternoon hanging out with the kids here and there. I watched Beetlejuice with K.

For those just joining the program, I have four kids: K (girl 10), J (boy 8), G (boy 5) and W (girl 1). We don't plan on having any more kids. Maybe an adoption if the money is there.

There's a phrase I heard recently, "Made Whole". It's an insurance term meaning to do what is necessary to bring someone to pre-claim status. This popped into my head when I recently came across this little jewel in the New Testament:

Mark 8

35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.

36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

I had always read this to mean that if someone were doing direct missionary work, or if while being flogged it was a direct cause of professing Christ. I think it is much broader than that. It means while in the line of duty, or while obeying the gospel I am injured or harmed in any way.

Let's flip back to ye ole Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5

38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right ^bcheek,turn to him the other also.

40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.

41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and ^hpersecute you;

This is part of "the gospel" as in the first line.

In other words, I can't lose. The very creator of the universe is insuring me against harm. It is impossible to take anything away from me. It will be restored, maybe even immediately. The God of Creation will make it rain bread and fish if needed to feed me.

There is no problem with lack of resources in the galaxy. Scarcity is an invention of man.

This does not exempt me from moral effort, by any means. It just means that in the course of duty and faith I will ultimately be protected. And anyone else who takes the Good Lord up on His offer. It seems counter-intuitive to give and be kind to those that are hurtful, but in the economy of the heavens it works out. The best and only totally reliable insurance policy is the one that comes from The Lord. The cost? Do something that goes against human nature.

This is another reason I don't mind paying harmful taxes. But that doesn't mean I won't work peacefully to do away with the system. I'm only one man, but I must do what I can.

It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from you action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.
--Gandhi

[As usual, I make my disclaimer that I do not find myself to be a righteous person. If anything good happens to me I ascribe it to the mercy of God and my fellowman. And if any young person thought for a moment to take me as a role model, I would have to emphatically redirect him to a more worthy Person]