This time will be different
The outpouring of love and help the American people, and indeed the world, is giving to Haiti is impressive, isn’t it? As much as the American government has given in aid, the American people have given much more. There seems to be a genuine determination to help that poor country get back on its feet and it is a joy to see.
Have you noticed a common theme among officials of government and private aid agencies? The theme is “This time it will be different.” Yes, we know there were similar outpourings of aid and support after hurricane Katrina and the Asian tsunami. And yes, we know that eventually, long before the job was done, the attention and the help dropped off dramatically. But we are not going to let that happen here, this time will be different. Well, I have a sad prediction to make. No it won’t. Long before Haiti is back to the miserable state it was in before the earthquake, let alone up to a better standard, the hearts and attention of the world will be on to something else.
We can thank God that there will be some people who stay the course and I pray that the Southern Baptists will be among them. But most of us will find that Haiti fades from our minds. Why do you think that non-profit organizations are frantically getting the word out about what they are doing in Haiti? Because they know the clock is ticking and soon interest will fade.
Are we really such terrible people? Why do we keep doing things like this? The answer is simple. We respond because we ought to, and “ought to” is never able to sustain us for the long haul. Now, listen carefully, “ought to” is not wrong. Helping Haiti because we ought to do it is not a bad motive. In fact, it is true, we ought to help. My point is that it just doesn’t enable us to carry through with the task. Sooner or later we tire and stop. Those who will sustain their efforts aren’t any better at “ought to” than we are. They simply replace their motive with love.
When Paul urgently preaches the grace of God and says that the law kills he is not critical of obeying the law as a way of life but simply pointing out that we can’t do it and we need grace. Yet how many of us in our Christian life have been guilty of saying, after a sin or a stumble, “This time will be different”? We mean well, we want it to be different but somehow trying harder to make it different always fails. The next time you hear yourself say “this time it will be different” or something like that, ask God to stop you in your thoughts and pray that His grace will make it different, and not your efforts.
Do you ever get frustrated when you seem to live in your own Romans 7 (“The good that I ought to do I do not do…”) world? Do you have any advice for the rest of us on how we can break out of that bad habit?
January 27, 2010 - 3:19 pm
I was encouraged a couple years ago by someone saying that trying to change yourself by yourself is like a branch stapling fruit to itself. The staples damage the branch and the stapled fruit is painfully held on to as they rot. But Jesus said that if “you abide in my word you are truly my disciples” (John 8.31) and you cannot bear fruit “unless you abide in me” (15.4). The fruit will grow from the heart that consistently sticks with God’s word. The help we need comes from the Spirit of the Lord that lives inside of those who trust in him. If you don’t trust in him, but you want to, then listen to his word. The Bible says that faith comes from listening to God’s word (c.f., Romans 10.17). Tom, Thank you for your words they are sound and encouraging.