Tag Archives: beauty

What is Contaminating the Excellence of the Heart?

Articles, Inspiration June 18, 2017 Leave a comment

“The beauty of the human heart originally permeated by our God Creator is abruptly attacked by the sin of the human being himself.”

 

In previous articles I have emphasized that excellence starts from the heart of God, and our Creator has definitely permeated the excellence of His heart in ours.

Yet sadly, the human heart is not always aligned with God’s heart. Why? The answer is simple but truly profound … because of sin.

In one of the articles I published recently, “Excellence Stems from The Heart – Part 1,” I briefly shared one of my traveling experiences in submarine, in Hawaii. And yes, when traveling to the bottom of the sea it is indisputable to meet the enchanting creation of God. Colorful vegetation and a diverse and extraordinary array of marine species that leaves us breathless when proving that there is indeed an exotic underwater world, of wild beauty and endless secrets, not all discovered, not entirely revealed.
The depths of the sea resemble the depths of the human heart. So much beauty, although sometimes damaged and even destroyed.

Carthaginian II – Lahaina, Maui

While my eyes reveled in the beauty of the underwater species, every colorful and vivacious image suddenly ceased when it faced with the ruins of a rusty and destroyed boat. An image that certainly produced other images in my brain, images of destruction and consequently, loss, pain and even death.

Any similarities with the depths of the human heart? For if we are honest and travel towards the depths of our heart, we will observe that we find not only beauty: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5: 22-23).

But sadly, we also find: evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander (Matthew 15:19).

The beauty of the human heart originally permeated by our God Creator is abruptly attacked by the sin of the human being himself.

And sin is simply man’s disobedience to the laws set forth in the life manual that God has given us through His Word -the Bible.

And many may say, and in fact have told me, “I do not sin, I do not harm anyone … I live my life the best I can … I try to do good…”

But let me invite you so that in the solitude of your room you make an honest journey to the depths of your heart and see if you do not find some elements that have contributed to the contamination of your heart: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lust, idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like (Galatians 5: 20-21).

The Word of God, our life manual tells us: Let God be true, and every human being a liar (Romans 3: 4). So if we are truly honest, we all have absolutely fallen into at least one of these sins. Consequently, we have broken the law of our Creator’s life manual.

And if we are honest, by breaking His law, our heart does not experience peace, our sinful heart does not rest until it finds forgiveness and healing from its Creator.

Many marine species have been endangered because of the various contaminations they have suffered: oil, fossil fuels, garbage, among others.

If we recall the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in the heart of the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, “the oil spill area broke through the ranges and the habitats of more than 8,000 species including birds, fish, mollusks, crustaceans, sea turtles and marine mammals (…) shrimp found themselves without eyes, crabs without tweezers, and fish with injuries and tumors through their bodies”. [1]

Likewise, the human heart is in danger of death, and eternal death if it does not return to its Creator, to Jesus Christ, the Giver of life, the eternal life. He Himself said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14: 6).

Certainly, there is beauty at the bottom of the sea, but it is in danger of being contaminated. The responsibility to take care of it and to preserve the wonderful marine species is undoubtedly ours, the human beings.

And excellence is found in the depths of our heart. However, it is at stake of being contaminated by sin. It is our responsibility to seek the solution to preserve it pure and healthy, free from the slavery of sin.
Indisputably, the solution is Jesus Christ. And in His Word He clearly states, “I have come so that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10).

How is your heart today? I invite you to embark on a journey into the depths of your being and call out to your Creator, Jesus Christ, so that He comes to your rescue, heals and restores your heart, because life flows from it.

Sources:

[1] http://www.oceanfutures.org/news/blog/Derrame-de-petroleo-del-Deepwater-Horizon-5-anos-de-secuelas

 

Peace and Adversity, Beauty and Pain…just in one place?

Interviews March 29, 2016 Leave a comment

“If there is a loving God who created us, then he ought to be distraught at the state of the world.”

                                                                                         Amber Van Schooneveld

Amber Van Schooneveld, writer

Amber Van Schooneveld, writer

 

 

Amber is the senior writer and editor for Compassion Canada. Before, she worked for Compassion International, as editorial manager of writers and photographers in the field. Amber has always had a sensitive heart to the suffering in the world. When she was a child, she would cry when other children would kill ants. Since then, she has moved on to be moved by greater suffering in the world. Amber is the author of Hope Lives and Passport to Prayer, both aimed at helping people know God’s heart for the suffering in this world and to take action. She has a degree in English from Colorado State University and lives in Colorado with her wonderful family.

 

 

 
Is it possible for peace and adversity, for poverty and wealth, for beauty and pain to fill this world at once?
Sometimes, sitting in my peaceful home in Colorado, enjoying the lovely scenery, having a hearty family meal together and watching my children play with each other, the images you watch in the news of war, disaster and extreme poverty can seem inconceivable. How is it that I, even with all of life’s pains, disappointments and inconveniences, can live in such security when so many others, Syrian war refugees, for example, live in such fear and deprivation? It boggles the mind.

Yet we all know that this is indeed the state of the world. But none of our experiences are all good or all bad. Even in my secure and peaceful life, I’m not sheltered from the pain of cancer or suicide. And those living in extreme poverty also can still have the joy of family and the beauty of God’s creation. All, or at least, most of us experience both great beauty and love and heartbreaking pain and loss.

 

In your several journeys throughout developed and developing countries, what has caught your attention in regards to this phenomenon?
Returning home to the US after traveling to a developing country, I’m almost always struck by how

Amber, author of "Hope lives"

Amber, author of “Hope lives”

people don’t realize how good we have it. Living in a relatively affluent place, it’s easy to look around at those wealthier than you and believe that you are just barely making it. Few of us have the context to understand the luxury we live in because we aren’t surrounded by the alternative of people who do not have running water, adequate food, safe homes or access to banking, medical care, insurance or social safety nets.

On the other hand, I’m always struck by how similar we all are, no matter what country we are from. People are people. There are significant cultural differences, but I believe at our core we are all far more alike than we are different. We have the same desires, to be loved, to be safe, and to see our children and families thrive.

 

Is it God’s responsibility (if there is a God) or man’s responsibility for all the tragedies this world is experiencing?

I would say it is both. If there is a loving God who created us, then he ought to be distraught at the state of the world. And the Bible tells us that He is. (For example, In Luke 19, it is recorded that Jesus wept over the suffering that was to come to Jerusalem. And throughout the Old Testament it says that God hears the cry of the oppressed.) So the most challenging question that has ever been asked is, why does a loving God allow so much suffering? It’s not a question I can presume to answer well, and I don’t think it’s one we will fully understand on this side of eternity.

Many Christians have answered the question of suffering by saying that God uses our suffering to strengthen our faith and draw us toward Him. While we know that God uses suffering, both from experience and from passages like Romans 5:3-5, I don’t think this answer is the whole story. It can lead to bad theology, for example, someone asserting that God caused a child to die in order to teach a mother a lesson about faith. For me, the truth that I cling to when staggered by the suffering in the world is that God created a world in which there is free will because He wanted to create a world of loving relationships. For love to exist, free will is necessary, meaning man is free to do both good or evil. God says He has a plan to redeem the evil that is perpetrated in this world, but just like a tapestry that is beautiful on one side and tangled on the other, it is hard to see the sense of so much suffering in our limited perspective.

But throughout the Bible, God says that we are also responsible to answer to the suffering in the world. He calls us to speak out for justice, to break the chains of the oppressed and to help those in poverty. Although we don’t understand why suffering is allowed, we do know that God calls us to be active in stamping it out of this world. In fact, in Ephesians 2:10, Paul says that God has prepared good works for us to do in advance! What a huge honor that God values us so much as to allow us to be His hands in actively bringing peace, justice and equality to the world.

 

As surely we cannot close our eyes and say that this world is a “paradise,” is there any hope?

Amber, in one of her trips, sharing with two little Indian girls

Amber, in one of her trips, sharing with two little Indian girls

Though we can’t fully understand why God allows so much suffering, I often think back to Genesis 16, in which God noticed the suffering of Hagar, a servant. When she was dying in the desert, God saw her need and helped her, which led her to call Him “the God who sees.” In the midst of our suffering, we are never alone. God says He is close to the broken hearted. He sees the pain of the world, He listens to the cries of the oppressed, and He calls all of us to be active in being His hands in offering comfort, succor, love and physical help to this world.