3 Facets of the Human Experience: Sorrow, Justice and Love
Transcript: 3 Facets of the Human Experience – Sorrow, Justice and Love
As I see this, I think of C.S. Lewis’ words, so powerfully written in his book, The Problem of Pain. He talks about when we experience pain, what is it that we’re actually experiencing? What is God possibly doing in the midst of all of the pain? He says this:
“God whispers to us in our pleasure. He speaks to us in our conscience. But He shouts to us in our pain. It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
Do you hear what he’s saying? He’s saying, “God whispers to us in our pleasure.” Sometimes we get blessings from Him, or we see things and we don’t think [about] the big questions. There’s only a whisper. He speaks to us in our conscience when we’re alone with our thoughts. But He shouts to us in our pain. It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.
Have you ever heard anybody who has won the Powerball or the Lotto, or the millions and millions of dollars available in these various jackpots and sweepstakes, ever fall to their knees and ask the big questions of life? No one ever falls to their knees and says, “Why God, why?!” when they win a million dollars. They ask the big questions when pain comes. For some reason, pain is the megaphone.
And in this world right now, where so much pain is prevalent–despite all of our advancements and our technology–pain is so prevalent. In the megaphone that we’re hearing, are three facets. Three facets that arise–I think–from every form of conflict. Whether it’s violent conflict, or some kind of relational conflict, there are three facets of the human experience: sorrow, justice and love.
We hear the cries of sorrow. No matter what context, you find someone who’s losing something. Someone has lost life. Someone has lost loved ones. Someone has lost property. Someone has lost their sovereignty, their dignity, their economy, their freedom and that loss breeds a cry of sorrow.
And then in the middle of all that loss, there’s a demand for the rectification of that loss. Because those lousy so-and-sos–whoever they happen to be–have done this to us. And so we demand justice. Sorrow leading to justice; we demand justice be done and things be set right.
And then when justice is not served, when the sorrow is not fulfilled and rectified, there’s the question of love. We ask the question. No matter what your context might be–your country, your culture, your religion, whatever it might be. Does the international community really love us? Or are we pawns in the game? Does God even love us if He lets this stuff happen to us time and time again?
Sorrow, justice and love. Everyone cries out for an end to their sorrow, for justice to be done and for love to be shared. Regardless of your country of origin, regardless of your religious beliefs, everyone cries out for this. And everyone, by the way, who cries out for this, thinks they’re right. Everyone thinks that they’re the ones who have been the victims. Everyone thinks that they are the ones–whoever they are, by the way, and they by the way, is never us. They should be brought to justice. And we want to know about love.
And so conflict continues unabated. Because we’re always right. They’re always wrong. They and us–the gap is widening, not narrowing–it’s widening. And so the cries of sorrow, justice and love continue unabated, even as the world cries out for peace.
Mr. Abdu Murray, J. D.
Abdu Murray is a speaker, author and attorney who specializes in addressing issues where religious faith and emerging cultural trends intersect and collide. Since founding Embrace the Truth in 2004, Abdu has spent decades analyzing how the major religious and non-religious thought traditions have attempted to address emerging cultural issues, he has authored several books including Saving Truth, Grand Central Question, Apocalypse Later and his latest, More than a White Man’s Religion: Why the Gospel is Not Merely White, Male-Centered, nor Just a Religion. His articles have been featured in Fox News, Christianity Today, Christian Post and Western Journal.
For most of his life, Mr. Murray was a Muslim until a nine-year historical, philosophical, theological and scientific investigation pointed him to the Christian faith. He has engaged with diverse international audiences in debates and dialogues across the globe and hosts the podcast and YouTube shows, All Rise, Deliberations LIVE and CouldaShouldaWoulda.
Mr. Murray holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School and was named to Best Lawyers in America and to Michigan Super Lawyers three times.
He lives in the Detroit, Michigan area with his wife and their three children. Read his full bio here.
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