Living in the Spirit
July 17, 2018
Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-14a
And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. –2 Samuel 7:10-14a
Much of the evil in the world is due to the fact that [humanity] in general is hopelessly unconscious. –Carl Jung
A new small, gray cat with a bobbed tail has taken over my backyard. I do not know if it is a feral cat or my neighbor has a new cat. My neighbor’s cat, a black and white, has claimed my backyard since moving to my neighborhood. My sense is the gray has established dominion. The driveway where I park my car is separated from my backyard by double gates. The gray has adapted quickly to his or her new environment. When I go to get into my car, if the gray is in the driveway he or she quickly climbs the fence having learned safety exists at least from me behind the gate.
Humans seem to lack the keen, constant instinct for survival that other members of the animal kingdom possess. Everything is a threat to other animals until it is not. Human adrenaline certainly kicks in when we perceive danger but usually not before. Perhaps our mental acuity was created to offset the constancy of the survival instinct. The difference between good and evil is a mental construct between which humans must choose.
Living in a state of peace and prosperity may dull our sense of the continuing presence of evil in the world. Some think that such a state is based on their being more deserving than those who do not live in peace and prosperity. We call that privilege the anesthesia that most often causes the unconsciousness Jung describes in the above quote. David sought to practice justice during his reign. Solomon seemed to have continued that principle. The kingdom divided following his death as justice and righteousness lost out to evil.
Privilege requires the existence of a lower level of existence. God, on the other hand, saw that all the world he created was good and the interaction of all its parts are necessary for good to prevail. Perhaps we need to pay more attention to good and evil than peace and prosperity. When good is fully realized peace and prosperity will be the norm.
Prayer: Lord, save us from our unconsciousness. Keep us alert to opportunities to defeat evil with love. Amen.