As human beings we are always caught between two forces; togetherness and separateness (this comes from the work of Murray Bowen, M.D.). On the one hand we want to be connected to others; to family, friends and community. Biblically we could speak of this as God's having created us to love God and neighbor (you can't love others without being connected). On the other hand we want to be independent; to have the ability to make our own choices and decisions. Biblically we could speak of this as the ability God has given us to "Choose this day whom you will serve…but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord." (Joshua speaking in Deuteronomy 24:15) While seemingly contradictory drives each is a gift of God that enables us to be fully human. They allow us to balance our lives between loving others (togetherness) and loving self (separateness). In order to work appropriately however each of these forces needs the exact same condition, freedom.
It is freedom that allows persons to be truly together and separate. Loving togetherness, whether emotional or sacrificial (Biblical "agape" love) cannot be forced or coerced. While the use of force may create what appears to be loving togetherness (living in community or doing for others), it is in fact not love but coercion. This is forced togetherness. In the same way and perhaps more obviously we cannot be separate without freedom. Without freedom we cannot exercise the ability God has given us to make our own choices and be responsible for our own lives.
Unfortunately we live in a world in which coercion and forced togetherness has often ruled the day. Human history is replete with nations, tribes and religions coercing, bullying and killing others in order that everyone conforms to the norms and beliefs of the dominant group. There are any number of reasons we could give for this tendency; fear, arrogance, pride and so on. Regardless of the reason such limitations on freedom are a violation of God's plan for the world. We can see that this is so in the scriptural stories in which God insures humanity has the freedom to exercise both drives.
We first witness this gift of freedom in the opening stories of Genesis (Chapter 3) in which God gives Adam and Eve choices. God has created a marvelous place for them in which they can live in loving relationship with their creator. At the same time God leaves them free to choose how close, or distant they desire to be (the metaphor of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil). Even when they make the wrong choice God continues to allow the forces of togetherness and separateness to function.
We see God's desire for freedom again in the great story of liberation we call the Exodus. God's people have found themselves enslaved in Egypt as an inferior race. God's people cry out to God. God hears their cries and sends Moses and Aaron to act as their liberators. Through a series of plagues and miracles God's people are free. As the people enter the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land God once again desires loving togetherness (through the giving of the Law) but allows the people be separate by giving them the ability to choose how close or how distant they desire to be to God.
We see God's desire for freedom in the gift of God's son Jesus of Nazareth. As the Apostle Paul tells the story each human being's will is enslaved to the powers and principalities of this world (in other words our natures are aligned against God and the life God offers). That being the case it is impossible for human beings to fully choose (exercising separateness) the ultimate good of loving God and neighbor (exercising togetherness). In the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the power of sin was broken thus giving us the ability to choose to be loving (togetherness) and independent (separateness). Through Jesus then we become capable of balancing the forces with which God imbued us; thus allowing us to be fully alive and fully human. This balancing act is one of the keys which makes redemption possible.
No comments:
Post a Comment