WHAT HE/SHE DID!

Psalm 4:5
Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.


I read this verse on the train this morning when I decided to read the bible. I highlighted it because it struck something inside me that made me think. I have struggled a long time with the idea of willfully living a righteous life. Living a morally upright life seems so desirable yet the practical aspects of it aren’t so easy to accept much less practice. Obedience to a way of life that seems to deprive of pleasures is difficult because for every reason I have or find to obey I find another, some of which I convince myself I have no control over, that push for disobedience. One may not be too happy with the way I am describing disobedience because perhaps they have convinced themselves of the passivity of it, I have convinced myself of this passivity too, so that most of the things I am not in line with appear to be born out of circumstances, occurrences and perhaps events that I did not have any control over; Yet although this position is supposed to give you and I peace of mind to continue living however we want I will be first to admit that it doesn’t and then along comes this verse in Psalm 4:5.

Looking at the verse on the surface, one can probably infer that contextually the psalmist was perhaps referring to a sacrifice of a lamb or sheep or some sort of blood sacrifice. However, the interpretation I got was slightly different it was simply this, that the idea of righteousness is in and of itself a sacrifice. What is a sacrifice? I looked up the definition of sacrifice and even though the previous description of a blood offering of sort given to a deity is included in the list of definitions, the one that serves my particular purpose is this “ The destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else” Translated with the verse in mind it seems the text is encouraging that we destroy or surrender something else, perhaps willful unrighteousness, for the sake of righteousness and in addition put our trust in the Lord.

I know people who would willingly bet a significant amount of money or their whole life’s savings for the very slim chance of winning some more money yet the proposition of making the sacrifice of righteousness, whatever that may mean to them, and putting their trust in an ultimate being seems such a crazy or unrealistic idea. To me the former act seems a little bit crazier than the latter just by mere cost benefit analysis. I speak to myself as well when I say that, many people like the passive life of blame shifting and pointing fingers and what a great feeling it is when we succeed in convincing ourselves that who we are and what we have become results from what other people have done or failed to do because that way we feel a little less responsible for our actions.. Sometimes we fail to realize that those we blame for our seemingly unfortunate predicaments, like us, are just humans also -lost, confused and equally seeking an understanding of the world - and are on a journey for answers just like us. I too am a child of lacks and abandonment and have done the blame game and to a degree still do but one thing I was made aware of at some point in life was that no one need answer to me and pointing fingers doesn’t exonerate me of behaviors and actions I am responsible for and that if I am going to stand or fall for anything I must consider it fully and make sure I have made that choice and not hide behind a psychological construct that suggests a helpless disposition to a particular persuasion as a result of other people’s actions.

Before, I am attacked for holding such an opinion I want to say that I am not suggesting that other people’s actions do not affect us. They do affect us, all around us people who hurt us or help us influence our personalities and touch something in us for progress, regress or even stagnation, however we are not totally helpless because we have a lot of power in terms of how far the effects of these seemingly untouchable actions go to affect our lives. The parts of the process we can’t control are those of the actions of the other but our reaction and how we allow those actions to affect us lies entirely in our hands.

What I am getting at is that we often want to believe we have no power and that what our response, reactions or feelings to other people’s behavior and its influences on us are going to occur regardless. It is such passivity that makes it easy to not actively make the sacrifice of righteousness because we believe in a preprogrammed calculation of the universe all of which we passively accept. Sacrifice suggests an action that requires a conscious effort or decision. A decision of a personal nature and involving the mind, an exercise of the will, discipline and willingness- a journey that will almost certainly guarantee stumbling and multiple falling or failing along the way. This is caution to everyone, and myself that before we decide to lie on our sides and scream, “helpless I am! For I’m afflicted as a result of the actions of another,” we must remember that we are being called to exercise actively a sacrifice of righteousness in the face of what other people in the world deal us.


When I hear people complain of other people in church and attribute their disinterest or lack of interest in christianity to what those people in the name of church have done or are doing my response is simple, if you are going to make a decision about church make it using your mental faculties, even if it is based on an analysis of other peoples actions, make the decision ponder it and make it your own and say because I have considered it fully I accept my decision not to go to church as my own decision and choice and I take responsible for that decision, because claiming the failure of others the reason for your lack of interest is weak, cowardice and unfounded for they all like you are in search of the way too.