Redemption

I recently finished Timothy Keller's The Reason for God. This morning, I'm reflecting on this passage:

"The Biblical view of things is resurrection-not a future that is just a consolation for the life we never had but a restoration of the life you always wanted. This means that every horrible thing that ever happened will not only be undone and repaired but will in some way make the eventual glory and joy even greater...

Jesus insisted that His return will be with such power that the very material world and universe will be purged of all decay and brokenness. All will be healed and all might-have-beens will be."

I am so thankful for the God of redemption.

I'm not an expert on religions, but from what I've read I understand that most major religions try to tackle this concept of sin. We call it very, very different things, and understand it's origin in different ways. But there is no denying that there is something wrong with us. Man has a problem.

It's always tempting for me to ascribe to the idea that desire is what causes suffering.

Paula Rinhart, one of my very favorite authors/speakers, writes in Strong Women Soft Hearts:

"Disowning desire saves us from having to wade through some really difficult places in our lives. When we deaden desire,
-We don't have to fave the disappointment of a lost dream;
-We save ourselves from doing the slow and tedious work of repairing a broken relationship;
-We don't have to sweat through trusting God with the things we don't understand; and
-We can avoid, a little longer, our fear of what others will think."

I just love this:
"God made our spirit to respond to Him-to hunger and desire beyond ourselves that which is wholly other, Holy Other. He made us incomplete-with gaps, holes, yearnings, desires that woo us to our real home. We make a big mistake if we toss our longings away lightly...Christianity begins with an invitation to desire."

"Given that we live on the far side of Eden and that this world will always fall short, desire will lead to pain as often as pleasure... How we see pain determines, in large part, the life of our hearts."

I totally get her. I get this.

And living in the memory of Eden is what makes me so very thankful for redemption. Jesus died to redeem all that was broken, and not only to fix it but to make it better. That is something to be joyful about, even during trials.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19