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To be good

 


 I must admit I struggle with the concept of heaven. I wonder if it is a mere bribe to compel us to be good. And this is not an outlier concept. The idea that a person needs to be bribed to be good fills everyday society. If you don't brush your teeth, eat your vegetables, tell lies or kill your neighbors then your life will receive good things. Moral texts, cultural traditions, the rhetoric of modern life all seem to hinge on this trade off if you are good then it will be worth it. If you are good your car will not wreck on the way home from work, you will live long and have teeth.

     This seems so strange, so unnatural so not the way things are supposed to be. Its almost as if the universe is admitting that being good really isn't that good after all.

     A long time ago I was given a little book: The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. A short little collection of letters that contained within it an idea that stayed with me. The idea was simple that is being good is not about doing good things but about doing the right thing. Its about doing what God wants you to do--not generally but intimately. 

    And that's why the life of prayer, the practice of the presence of God is so important so that one can be in tune with his desires.

    And in a way this is the narrative that hammers through the Biblical text. The idea of God writing his heart on the hearts of his people. An idea that Jesus illustrates time and time again in the New Testament and maybe most succinctly in the The Sermon on the Mount when he points out we break the law not with actions but with the intent of the heart. Yes, you can give money to the poor. Yes, you can do good things but sometimes or more accurately always the moment calls for something more. 

    It is the act that Jesus must needs do, the act the Father has called him to do that matters. Not should do but must needs do. 

    The question of goodness is not a general moral rule to achieve success but about the intimate sharing of each moment with God.  

  


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What:

The Rusty Sage Brush is a blog that attempts to take life and experience it like a child full wonder, questions, curiosity and play (with a special emphasis on play): a metaphorical dancing in the rain. To this end there will be words and at times, even, sentences. These objects will be organized into stories, poems, lists, and essays.

All pictures and posts are original except where quotations and other obvious exemptions exist. Therefore, all rights/permissions belong to the author.

Who:

Currently, the voices are limited and do not have any critical, creative, or useful writing skills, but as this is being published on the internet the writer does feel a little overqualified. The person behind this blog is named James. He lives to write, chase sunsets, listen to the stories around him, fix old cars that nobody else wants, bake bread, and tell jokes that cause mass suffering but for those few seconds each day when he can be serious what he really wants is to help people find meaning, learn to play and approach each day with love.

When:

As of this time there is no determined schedule. But I do hope you enjoy the random postings I do make as I develop a more steady schedule.

Why:

The Rusty Sage Brush wants to be the metaphorical little boy stamping in a mud puddle introducing play into world. So, quite simply, because my shoes are not muddy enough yet and no one has said I have to go inside yet.

I hope you enjoy.

James

Contact: about@rustysagebrush.org