New Birth for the World

We were with child, we writhed in pain,

  but we gave birth to wind.

We have not brought salvation to the earth,

  we have not given birth to people of the world. (Isaiah 26:18)

Going through pain and suffering only to find out that it was all for nothing is a terrifying prospect. I can see why it would make some people determined above all else to avoid pain. The picture of giving birth to wind - nothing. The struggle to conceive, anticipation during pregnancy, and the endurance of the pain of birth is all for the life to be born. The new life that comes out of the struggle is what brings meaning to the struggle. This is redemption.

Redeeming is buying back the years of toil and slavery. It is the deliverance from slavery to a promised land. It is the joy of comfort after abuse. It is the laughter of relief when we realize that the war is over. It is freedom, a birth of a life with God.

The opposite of redemption is judgment. It is realizing that the only way to deal with pain is with fear or denial. It is constantly ducking the blows of neglect and abuse. It is realizing that there is no relief, but only worry about when the next war begins. It is enslavement, the emptiness of a life without God.

What if the good news of the followers of Jesus falls on deaf ears because we live more under judgment rather than redemption? We give birth to wind in our own lives and are surprised that other people do not want to share in such a salvation with us. Of course the best is yet to come, but that does not mean that we need to live the worst way now.

Here's the thing: what if eternal life starts today? What if what changes primarily at the death of our bodies is just our setting, but not the kind of life we live? If all that is self-centered, fearful, worried, angry, and suffering gets burned away when we move on into the next life, what will be left of us? What if we are starting to build the home we will always live in right now?

I have had moments of fear about this, but the God I know is not trying to keep anyone out of the place he dwells, but trying to help each of us find our place there. The most obvious, glorious, and desirable thing about heaven is God himself. If we are interested in him, wanting to know him, or wanting to spend time with him now, what makes us think that the death of our bodies will change that? He will take whatever spark of interest we have and fan it into a fire to warm us and a light to guide us, but he will not run over us.

The salvation of new birth and new life is something we need to hear about, no doubt. But even more, it is something we need to see and hear and feel and believe. Even in an immature form, it is the light of the world. This life of redemption is simply this: The opportunity is here. Let go of whatever you think brings you life and trust this good news instead: God is working in you and on your world for good and he is as close as the air you breath. (Mark 1:15, paraphrase)