The positivity of creation

 This week's verses are Philippians 2:14-16:

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without blemish though you live in a crooked and perverse society, in which you shine as lights in the world by holding on to the word of life so that on the day of Christ I will have a reason to boast that I did not run in vain nor labor in vain. 

  Paul is talking here about the Christian life lived out in the world. He's talking not just about life in our church community but also in the places where we share life with others outside of it. 

We're supposed to be an oasis of love in the midst of a society that is just looking to meet its material needs. But if we're turning against each other and the people we meet, what kind of oasis is that? People can experience a love desert anywhere. For them (and us) to be refreshed, that oasis has to embody God's character.

Negativity stifles creativity. Things like brainstorming and improv comedy both rely on people not contradicting the creative thoughts that come pouring forth. For the creative process to work, it has to proceed uninterrupted. Anyone who has tried to draw or paint while someone stands over them and critiques their work knows what I am talking about.

Look at the story of God creating the world in Genesis: Is God internally divided, muttering under his breath about how he should have created the animals last, or saying maybe that the light is in the wrong place and that people would look better if it came from the side and not directly from above? No, each creative act builds on the other, and each creation is acknowledged as being good.

The same is true for grumbling. Does God complain anywhere in the Bible about how much work it is having to save so many people from Hell? Are Jesus' last words on the cross "This would have been so much better if it weren't for all of the sinners everywhere?" No. But for us, this sort of thing is normal, and we don't see the disconnect between our sentiments and those of the God whose world we claim to represent.

Have you ever counted how long you've been able to go without grumbling? Is it a week or two? Four of five days? An hour? Five minutes? Not even that? And have you ever looked back at the end of a day and asked yourself how many of the arguments you had were really necessary? We hold the keys to heaven and yet we talk like we're in Hell sometimes.

We live in a society now that encourages us to fight each other all the time with our words. We sit in front of screens and watch people argue as a form of entertainment, just to see who between them can make the snarkiest, most hurtful comment to come out on top. If we spend more time in that world than we do in God's presence, it's easy to predict which one will have more influence on how we conduct ourselves.

Paul describes this lack of arguing and complaining as being a light in a crooked and perverse society. Being steeped in negativity and contrariness makes us indistinguishable from the powers of darkness that surround us. Light shines in darkness because it is different. God's character is different. If we don't have it, not even a little, we won't shine like we should.

We know this. But why do we argue? Why do we complain and grumble about things? We lack humility and hope. We lack patience. We lack grace. We lack love.

When Jesus was on death row, unjustly sentenced, talking to Pontius Pilate, he didn't argue with him or make threats or complain about how miserable he was to be in prison. If ever there was a time to argue or file a complaint, that would be it! Would any of us be able to conduct ourselves as differently as he did in that situation? I think that was Paul's point in writing this. We have a long way to go, and the earlier we start the better our chances of getting there.

Listen to your words this week. Are you blameless and pure in your lack of strife and condemnation? Or do you fit right in with the people who don't have the hope we do, or the options available to us, or the humility that comes from knowing our place in the universe and what needed to happen in order for us to be there? See if you can follow Paul's advice and shift the world in a positive direction.