I See and I Wonder

I SEE AND I WONDER

What do I see?

Do I see that my brothers and sisters in Christ, my fellow-human beings Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Catholic or non-religious, have perished under the rubble?

Yes, I see. And I weep for their families.

Do I wonder that life is so fleeting, that we will meet our Maker, any time?

What do I see?

Do I see the outpouring of sympathy, support and patriotic pride, all reflecting the image of God in man?

Yes, I see. And I worship and thank God for granting us the ability to do so much good.

Do I wonder if we are still relying on our own strength, and trusting in our ability to muster out military might, charitable contributions, and good feelings, rather

than turning to God?

What do I see?

Do I see baseball players saying that “Baseball is not that important,” radio stations publishing lists of songs with inappropriate lyrics, Michael Jackson recording a song to raise funds for charities? Do I see the conscience of human beings called to respond in some way, called to reach out to our neighbors?

Yes, I see. And I am very encouraged that we do stop, mourn, reflect and respond.

Do I wonder if the sports and entertainment industries have simply taken too much of the American economy as well as the American consciousness; that we have become so used to leisure and entertainment that we have become weaker in our national character, and less sensitive to things of eternal value? Do I wonder if God’s waning about loving the world may be relevant at this moment, even if it may be very unpopular?

What do I see?

Do I see pastors and speakers warning us not to blame God; terrorism is rooted in man’s free choice? Do I see these preachers calling us to pray and repent?

Yes, I see. And I am grateful that prayer and worship is now the focus of our nation.

Do I wonder if our emphasis on man’s free will make cause many to wonder if God is all-sovereign, all-wise and all-powerful? Do I wonder if we have truly understood the Bible’s teaching on freedom?

What do I see?

Do I see Wall Street returning to business; government leaders warning against capricious buying and selling; the President calling us back to work as normal?

Yes, I see. And God has commanded us to be diligent, be watchful, be loyal.

Do I wonder if in the final analysis, our greatest concern lies in the loss of gains and jobs in our economy? That we care more about our investments, both at home and overseas, than our investment in the promotion of the fear and knowledge of God, worship, compassion, mercy and justice? True justice?

November 18, 2001

Samuel Ling is the president of China Horizon, based in Los Angeles, California. (English) samling.ccim.org (Chinese)