The letters to Timothy have a lot of great imagery, but this verse stuck out to me due to a recent argument I had with my mother about karma. There is something very appealing in the idea that “what goes around comes around.” There's even some scripture, like this one, that seems to back it up.
The idea of karma first made a big impact on my mind several years ago when I started traveling overseas. It's the main experience I've encountered that no matter how much planing you do in advance, everything seems to be out of your control when it's time to fly. Is my luggage gonna get stuck in customs? Will I catch my connecting flight in an foreign airport that may or may not post signs in English? Will I be sitting in the middle seat of the middle row between people who the break the boundaries of personal space or fall well below the standard for hygiene? With so many seemingly random variations, your mind tries to justify what you did wrong to get stuck on a flight next to a newborn baby. “I'm suffering now because I cut that guy off on the way to the airport, aren't I?” One of my travel days was going so perfect that I became nervous I had used up all my good mojo so that my next flight would be a disaster. Then I remembered that the last trip I switched my prime seating for a dreaded middle so a boy could sit next to his parents. Look at me cashing in my karma chips! Sweet!
Now while I may talk about karma like this, let me clarify that I don't believe in the religious concept of karma. I use the term more as a metaphor for “getting your comeuppance.” The true definition of karma is in contradistinction to Christianity. (Check out the Wikipedia definition upping my vocabulary quotient for the day. I can now pretend to speak at a college educated level!) These two concepts can't mix because karma is based on personal deeds resulting in spiritual payback while Christianity is based on the grace of God that can not be earned. As a Christian, your greatest accomplishments couldn't even cover the reservation fee for booking a ticket to heaven. The good news is God is eager to give out free boarding passes.
If you try to cash in your frequent flier miles for Jesus Points:
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