human rights...or not?

We do a lot of things in the name of "human rights." I intend to focus much of my energy into a "human rights" based career. Why do I keep putting them in quotations? Because I'm not sure that "human rights" even exist anymore. I'm not questioning the actions we take to promote human rights, or what has been accomplished as a result of their introduction to society, just the idea of rights. Really, human rights are a relatively new idea. They began with property rights in Medieval law, and then advanced to political rights in Western Europe, namely in France. The Declaration of Independence tells us we are "endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights," what many would call "natural rights." Basically, some people believe God gave us rights, while some would say we have them simply because we are human. Sounds pretty intuitive. Here's what gets me. Whether or not you believe in a God of any kind, you cannot even take your next breath for granted. Nothing is guaranteed. Where did we get the idea that we are entitled to anything? Even more, Jesus says that to find your life you have to lose it. Paul says that Jesus let go of his God-ness and "made himself nothing." Hmm. If Jesus knows what he's talking about in regard to life, truly living is not claiming as many rights for yourself as you can, but quite the opposite.

I will say this. Life is valuable. Murder, genocide, abortion...these things are ugly. The question I'm asking is, do I have the right to my life, or do others have the responsibility not to kill me? Christ followers have a responsibility to feed the poor, free the slaves, heal the sick, correct injustices. We are the rebuilders of broken places. And some 'rights' are legitimate needs, ie, food, shelter, clean water, protection... They are necessities for survival, but are they rights? And are they necessary for true life, wholeness, and freedom? Some of the happiest people are deprived of many things we consider 'rights.'


I could go a lot of other directions with this...and I will,

another day.

summer thoughts

I've neglected this blogging thing for most of the summer, because, frankly I haven't had a lot to say.

But, here we are on the cusp of a new school year with a few sweet summer days left to be enjoyed. Summer is a funny thing. In our minds, summer conjures feelings of reckless abandon, freedom from obligations, and unbridled exhilaration. When I think of summer, I daydream about laying out in the grass with a good book, playing tennis, roadtripping, running through fields of wildflowers, writing poetry, bonfires, and sipping iced tea. For some of us, it's a time to finally become all the things we try to be during the school year. Summer was these things. But it wasn't perfect, by any means. Summer can feel like more of a letdown than any other season because the expectations we place on it are so high, so idealistic, and usually unreachable. During the school year, it's a given that school will put a damper on things, no matter how great the rest of life is. But summer is that last bastion of childhood, carefree living.

So...as I'm processing the summer, I'm trying to resist the urge to label it "good" or "bad" or to compare it to summers past. Was it all I imagined it would be? Nope. Did I meet my own expectations? Not at all. But, did its serve its purpose? Only time will tell, but I'm starting to think yes...

I'll keep you posted as I process the last few months, and I'd encourage you to do the same, but I'm getting the impression that God was all over it in ways I have yet to fully comprehend. More to come.