Beyond Our Righteous Resistance
Most of us spend our lives as self-appointed editors of reality. We look at the world, our circumstances, and the people around us, and we constantly mark things as "errors" to be sorted out. We believe that if we just protest loudly enough, judge severely enough, or argue correctly enough, we can fix the "mistakes" in our lives.
But there is a quieter, older way of seeing - one that suggests that what we perceive as an "error" is actually an invitation into the Rest of God.
The Illusion of the "Second Choice."
In every difficult moment, there is a choice in our reaction. The one is to pick up the "sword of conviction." It feels like courage, but it is often just the ego in a religious mask. It is the belief that God needs us to be the gatekeepers of His morality or the judges of His creation.
The other is the choice of The Witness. This choice asks: "Is God present in this thing I hate, or only in the things I approve of?" If we hold to the hope of Apokatastasis - the ultimate restoration of all things - then we must believe that God’s hand is just as present in the "severe" as it is in the "sweet." As Barth or MacDonald might suggest, the "fire" of God isn't a different thing from His "love"; it is simply how Love feels to everything within us that is not yet like Love.
Faith is the Cessation of Toil
We often mistake faith for "believing hard enough" to change a situation. But in the perspective of the finished work, Faith is Rest.
"Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
To have faith is to stop trying to manage the universe. It is the "Faith of Christ" - the settled assurance that the Father has already reconciled all things to Himself. When we argue and fight "flesh and blood," we are operating out of a deficit. We are acting as if the victory hasn't been won. To rest is to acknowledge that the outcome is already secured in the nature of God.
The Catalyst of Restoration
We often find ourselves frustrated by the "unreasonableness" of others. Yet, from a perspective of unconditional grace, we might actually be the catalyst for their freedom.
If someone is acting out of fear or ego, our "righteous" reaction only confirms their fear. But if we respond with the "unconditionality" of God, we create a space for their own awakening. We aren't just "being nice"; we are standing as a representative of a God who does not count trespasses against people (2 Corinthians 5:19). Your kindness is the "stillness" that allows them to see their own reflection and, perhaps, find their way home.
The Purpose in the Extreme
Nothing that enters your experience is a distraction from your spiritual life; it is your spiritual life. The events that violate your preferences are not obstacles; they are the "salting fire" designed to wake you from the ego and into Love.
We are already included in the life of the Trinity. Therefore, everything that happens to us is filtered through that Relationship. God is not "sending" tragedy, but He is in it, working behind the scenes to turn every "seed" of suffering into a "sunflower" of glory.
Moving Forward as a Witness
To be a witness is to stop identifying with the part of you that needs to be "right."
The Ego needs to win the argument. The Spirit knows the argument is already over, and Love won.
When you stop trying to edit situations to "rub less" in your life and start trusting the "Invisible Hand," you find a freedom that the world cannot give. You realise that the "opposition" was never an enemy, but a fellow participant in a grand, inevitable restoration.
God is not losing. He is working. And in that, we find our rest.