Panama City Beach, FL 2006: Arianna has enjoyed annual junkets to the Gulf Coast for over half of her life. Here, at age 10, she sported a “lip ring” to celebrate her return. Now, with calamity choking life in the Gulf, perhaps nothing will remain but the pictures and memories of this remarkable enclave that God built for us to see and enjoy for what may turn out to be a limited time only.
From Trent Ling:
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has passed the forty-day mark with no relenting. In fact, thirty percent of the Gulf is now covered with the unwelcome petroleum sheen, and the sprawl of the slick has already eclipsed the size of each of the Gulf States but Texas. BP, the involved mega oil company, fronts its efforts publicly but stands financially doomed privately. The U.S. government mounts civil and criminal charges and untoward verbal barbs against BP while sitting, watching, and rooting for BP through an endless series of futile attempts to stop the leak. I can only hope the Feds never cheer for me! In the meantime, oily birds, bloated sea life, and ruined shorelines break hearts and spirits with every passing hour and barrel.
Of course, news headlines grab and display the silly gamesmanship of blame, spin, and political posturing. Though inexcusably late to the party, the noisemakers have much to say now. Weirdly, but all-too-familiarly, as the critical first ten days of this burbling crisis were drawing to a quiet wrap, today’s loudmouths were then just too busy with other “business.”
First things first, in the first ten days of the spill, Florida Governor Charlie Crist was busy preparing for and conducting his long-anticipated news conference announcing that he was changing political party affiliations (so that he might personally remain a U.S. Senate candidate this November). Only after many consecutive days of orchestrating this politically self-preserving maneuver did Governor Crist finally get around to declaring a State of Emergency for Florida. Meanwhile, gush, gush, gush…
First things first, in the first ten days of the spill, the U.S. Congress was busy lambasting Wall Street’s Goldman Sachs over the investment firm’s financial dealings from years ago. Never mind the Congressional pot calling the kettle. And, never mind the Congressionally wild and random timing, and unseemly aiding and abetting of all things Goldman over the course of those now-questioned years. Meanwhile, gush, gush, gush…
First things first, in the first ten days of the spill, President Obama was busy sniping at the State of Arizona over its new Immigration Law. Though tepidly acknowledging the glaring impotence of the federal handling of Immigration, the President lampooned Arizona’s law as “misguided.” He eventually took his rant interstate and international. Meanwhile, gush, gush, gush…
The most shocking development in this surreal development? Not one drop of humility to be found! Plenty of oil. Plenty of noise. Plenty of ad nauseam redundancies from “leaders.” But, not one drop of humility drips despite vast availability. Humility remains the only untried and original option in this never-ending saga of words. Grab it while you can!
“Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?” Job 11:7.
We are over our head. Literally! A mile beneath the Gulf surface is no place to tread pridefully. The pressure, the darkness, the cold. There are no people there. Only robots. Of course, God is there, but we cannot so hang. The multiple failures to stop the leak have heartbroken the world, but have they humbled it? Last week, President Obama said that BP had the best equipment to stop the leak and that the United States (as a country and a government) did not have any means any better than BP’s. Wow! Extraordinary! Humbling? Well, not so fast.
Not to be the bearer of wild news, but now the real murmuring has begun–the whispering that would reassert the United States as a more forceful entity than BP. It’s not pretty, but here it is: five times in the past forty-five years, the Russians have sought to stop their own uncontrollable oil leaks by nuking the leaks! Seriously! The Russians don’t have to be popular, win elections, or survive worldwide polling. They’re Russians; they do what they want. They have advised the United States to detonate a nuclear weapon beneath the seabed to put this to rest once and for all. The Russian success rate? Eighty percent! As for the mighty U.S., talk about a country looking like a deer in the headlights!
Regardless, we are seeing the elimination of the beautiful Gulf beaches; the tourism that has allowed all to visit and see the Bible in action; the fishing industries; the wildlife reserves; the beauty; the innocence; and the wonder. As a ministry that has tasted the majesty of the Gulf, we are familiar with the stakes. In our hearts we can feel it slipping away likely never to return.
“’You live in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,’ declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:6.
Going forward, the financially displaced will seek compensation from a bankruptcy-bound BP. Debt-devoured States will seek aid from its debt-riddled Country. The federal government will shamelessly borrow more to maintain the sagging appearance of sustainability. Deception and a refusal to acknowledge God will roll on. All the while, gush, gush, gush, but not a droplet of humility to be found.
The Icelandic volcano could not be stopped. It represented what every good contract and contemplation calls, “An act of God.” Short of the unpalatable nuke option or some heretofore unsought mercy from heaven, we have tapped on God’s door and will never recover from Him answering. The ocean depths do God’s bidding. Psalm 148:7-8. We must acknowledge our helplessness in this and in all things, really.
“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Matthew 23:12.
In all of this, with the hopelessness and powerlessness, can nobody publicly proclaim a droplet of humility? How long until that dried out humility pipe musters a single drop? Fifty days? A year? A hundred years? Ever? A droplet of humility could in fact move God to snuff the oil spill. Of course, those assuming high and mighty authority on earth are way too busy to be humble. There’s simply no time for it. At least the world has seen the self-exalted humbled. May it live to see the self-humbled exalted. Waiting, waiting, waiting…
Disciples of Jesus do not take political positions. Hallelujah that we’ve been spared from that utter circus! We opt for the humble road. How long until we find professional babblers humbled, quieted, and readied to join us in the only way to go? My aim is not to stop the oil leak. My goal is merely to start a more important trickle. I write only that we might honor and revere God in our distress. Perhaps God will man the real nukes and bail us out of this mess yet.
As is always the case, I’m only saying what I’m saying; and I’m not saying what I’m not saying. If I could secretly push a button and stop the oil gush tomorrow, I would do it. Enough lessons have been taught for my taste. Alternatively, if the people could eke out one droplet of humility across the board, we would need nothing more from the ocean floor, the mansion, the rotunda, or the oval office.
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