A New Earth

"But, according to His Promise, we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells." --[2 Peter 3: 8-14].


Every day in the news, we discover ever more distressful events.  North Korea is perfecting its deadly weapons systems.  Almost every day, two or three men are "outed" as sexual abusers or assaulters. Mass shootings occur with alarming regularity.  War and violence are ever present in our world.
Hunger and disease ravage Africa.

And meanwhile, we await "new heavens and a new earth".  Sometimes those inspiring words can seem a mockery of Reality.

As Isaiah 40: 3 says, "A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!"

Sometimes our world seems like such an irredeemable wasteland, I barely want to get out of bed in the morning.

It also seems way too long to wait to enter Heaven after this Life. Or, even yet, to wait for Jesus' Second Coming.

I want a New Earth NOW!

We wonder what kind of prophet can show us the way? Certainly Mark talks about a very unconventional prophet in John the Baptist: "clothed in camel's hair, a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and honey."  -[Mark 1: 1-8]. Who would even dare to talk to him?

John the Baptist was a divine predecessor to Jesus -- who Himself was an unconventional Redeemer, the son of a carpenter and a young teenaged girl, a "rabbi" who preached, "Behold, I am making all things new." -[Revelation 21:5].

I get so discouraged about all the Evil in our world. But then I say, surely there is something I can do to help make things better?

I try to teach my son this, as well. Even if what I can do is small, that is better than doing nothing at all, than remaining silent where Evil flourishes.

I taught my son this before he went off to pre-school at age three. I told him, "You are big and strong and smart. Try to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Help your classmates. If you see a little girl fall off the end of the slide, for example, help her up, then run to get the teacher. Be a friend."

And this is exactly what happened one day in fourth grade! A little girl fell into a muddy puddle at the bottom of the slide. She wasn't hurt, but she was scared and muddy. She began to cry. My son helped her up, then ran to get the teacher. When I picked him up at the end of the school day, he said, "Mommy! How did you know that would happen?"

At the end of the school year, I received a card about my son, filled with comments from his classmates: "He helped a girl up when she fell off the slide." -- "He plays with the kids no one wants to play with." - - "He helps me with my spelling." -- "When I am sad, he makes me laugh." -- "He defends the kids who are bullied."

Simply put, I have learned that "a new earth" comes when we dare to be different. When we dare to speak up or help out or defend others when no one else will.

A new earth unfolds when we dare to be that "one voice crying out in the desert." When we see how dark things can be, and we work to "make things new."

A new earth unfolds when we refuse to accept the wasteland, but we propel forward spreading our voices for Love and justice.

"For behold, I create new Heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or [even] come into mind." -- Isaiah 65: 17.

[Related Postings: "The Voice of One" 12/5/16; "Baptized with the Holy Spirit", 1/11/13' "Prepare the Way", 12/10/12.]

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