We're all from the same clay

Look, you and I both belong to God.
I, too, was formed from clay.- Job 33:6

I write this from a hotel room in Brownsville, Texas. I had the opportunity to spend quite a bit of time on the south side of the border today, and this thought- this verse- kept coming to me. As I watched young mothers, walk their young kids to school, some of them not long out of school themselves. As I saw disfigured and disabled men selling hats on the bridge over the Rio Grande. As I saw busloads of production workers shuttled in and out of the industrial parks, I thought about how similar we all are. But our life circumstances aren't the same. And this got me thinking.

I'm quick to admit that some people are dealt a bad lot in life. In Job's case, he was really a good man, a man who pursued after God. Yet, a lot of bad happened in a short period of time. It would be hard for anyone to say he didn't have a bad break. In the same way, many of the people in Mexico (far from the poorest country in the world) won't have nearly the opportunity that my kids will. But, as easy as it is for us to admit some people are born in a worse situation than we are, it's very hard to admit that we just might have gotten a good break. Just the parents we have or the home into which we were born or even our country- that maybe good fortune played a role in how far we've come in life.

Seeing the people in Mexico, I'm always amazed by their sheer joy. I love seeing their smiles in the face of worse circumstances than I'd want to face. And, more than anything, I recently realize we're all made from the same clay. Really, what is it about their lives that make them less valuable than mine? Why should I save to have a secure retirement and a nice house when others who are just as hardworking, just as faithful, just as God-breathed, have so little?

I feel very fortunate to have been born when I was and where I was. It was not an accident. God put me in the situation I'm in so I can make a difference. I just need to think about how.

The Beauty of Creation

So, yesterday, Benetta and I went hiking in Sedona, Arizona. It has to be the most beautiful place in the US, if not the world.



We had been there before, back in 1998. Then, we hiked Boynton Canyon, which I remember being beautiful, but not like this time. Yesterday, we hiked along the West Fork of Oak Creek, with it's stunning red rock formations and a liquid blue sky.

Part of the fascination yesterday stems from the absolutely perfect weather we had- mid-sixties, a few puffy clouds - ideal for hiking. But, part of it is that I am in a much better place spiritually than I was then. Last time I hiked Sedona, I was "communing with nature." This time, I was communing with God. Throughout the hike, I couldn't help but think of how awesome and powerful and totally artistic our God is. What a wonderful maker! A verse kept coming to mind from the book of Job. If you don't know the story, here's what happens... Job (pronounced Jobe) is a godly man, and satan thinks he can lure him away. So, the deceiver goes to God to get permission to try. God has faith that Job is a good man, so He agrees. Satan takes everything from Job- his family, his possessions, his livestock, his Bentley- everything. Then, after 37 chapters of Job's "friends" trying to figure out what Job must have done wrong to make this happen, and Job's crying out to God for answers, God decides, in chapter 38, to answer. Here's how it goes...

"Where were you when I created the earth?
Tell me, since you know so much!
Who decided on its size? Certainly you'll know that!
Who came up with the blueprints and measurements?
How was its foundation poured,
and who set the cornerstone,
While the morning stars sang in chorus
and all the angels shouted praise?
And who took charge of the ocean
when it gushed forth like a baby from the womb?
That was me! I wrapped it in soft clouds,
and tucked it in safely at night.
Then I made a playpen for it,
a strong playpen so it couldn't run loose,
And said, 'Stay here, this is your place.
Your wild tantrums are confined to this place.' "- Job 38:4-11 (the Message)

You can read the whole chapter here. God basically says, "Hey, I got this, don't worry. You don't understand anything, do you?"

Sometimes, I feel just like Job. When I question God about why something's happening in my life, why things aren't going the way I would like, I am really just doubting His soverignty. I think God is not in control. Then, I look around at what he's done... what He's done in my life in the last 10 years, what He's done with the earth, and making everything fit together and work together so perfectly and beautifully, and I'm reminded that I am not the one to question God. After all, where was I when he created the earth?