The origins of entropy

 

For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. 

I Corinthians 14:33 

There’s a magnetic quality to nature that’s hard to define. Perhaps this attraction lies in its aesthetics. Lush green fields that stretch as far as the eye can see, the faint but distinct blue line where ocean meets sky or the contours and slopes of hillsides are all powerful dopamine release triggers. So is the thrill and intellectual curiosity generated by discovering the extent of plant and animal diversity on display. RIP Steve Irwin. And let’s not forget the rich variety of sounds exploring the outback offers: the composite parts of nature’s song in any other setting might not seem exciting yet there’s a calmness provoked by birds’ and crickets’ chirps in unison with the trickle of flowing streams.    

These are all plausible explanations but there’s also one reason that’s often overlooked: interconnectedness aka ecosystems. A singular chemical molecule cycles through individual physical and biological systems several times a day powering different functions in air, soil, plant and animal. To the discerning, it’s also a bit of a wonder how convenient it is that the waste product of one species is another’s primary source of nutrition. Some would argue that nature’s “order” is its most intriguing quality and if you figure that all that was created are an expression of the Creator, it doesn’t take a lot to connect the dots.  Order and organisation are a pretty big deal to God. Genesis 1:1 might as well read, “In the beginning, God created order out of chaos”. 

Yet disorder kept slithering its way into the picture necessitating intervention after intervention to restore divine order: expulsion from the Garden (Genesis 3), the flood (Genesis 6-9), Sodom and Gomorrah’s fate (Genesis 18-19), the temple purge (Matthew 21:12-13) and the crucifixion (Matthew 27) are all testaments to how much He abhors chaos as well as how far He’ll go to protect His masterpiece. While a disordered state is pretty obvious, its origins are often subtle and insidious: lack of faith in the Word (Genesis 3) and perversion of purpose (Genesis 3; Genesis 18-19; Matthew 21:12-13) often lead us out His divine will. 

Our ability to withstand attempts to derail us from His divine purpose might very well be influenced by how secure we are in our identities. To illustrate this, let’s look at two distinct encounters in Genesis and the Gospels.

With his garments still dripping from being dipped in the Jordan River, Jesus was led of the Spirit into the wilderness. Unsurprisingly, he was the subject of multiple attempts by the devil to truncate the divine order that would lead to mankind’s redemption; however, we are only privy to the verbiage of three of these exchanges. Despite the varied nature of the temptations (the lust of the flesh -bread; the lust of the eyes- earth's kingdoms; and the pride of life – angelic protection) the consistency of his responses is instructive; each one beginning with “It is written”. This suggests a reflective process where He really did consider the devil’s suggestions and probably saw the rationale behind them BUT was disciplined enough to pause each time and compare the recommended course of action against the conditions stipulated in the Word. He was so versed in the words of the Pentateuch and Prophets that He couldn’t be caught lacking (in today’s parlance) even when distracted by fleshly urges. Small wonder John refers to Him as the living Word (1 John 1:11, John 1:1; John 1:14). He was secure in His identity and dismissed the need to “prove” this to anyone; choosing instead to focus on fulfilling His purpose. 

In Genesis 3 we find details of a similar encounter with a different outcome. We all know how the first couple were beguiled and ended up abandoning the divine order for the same trifecta of lusts (flesh, eyes, pride of life); however, what was the inciting stimulus? Hunger, hormones or the desire to be Master and Commander? We’re told these were consequences rather than causes of the rebellion in the Garden. Apparently, Adam and Eve “sinned” when they “doubted” that the Word they had been given was in their best interest. Doubt prompted disobedience and they fell even before touching the forbidden fruit. We’ll probably never know what led to the seeds of doubt being sown in their minds. Living in a tiny Garden when you had been promised the whole earth? Restrictions on what you could and could not touch while in the Garden? The desire to help facilitate things with the arm of flesh due to disquiet at the pace with which the divine order was being played out? Who knows? However, what we can learn from how Jesus handled the same scenario many millennia later is that absolute faith in God’s word and His ability to bring it to pass is the only way to stay on track and avoid the unwanted consequence- disorder. Apostle Paul put it succinctly when he said “ ....even though He was the Son, yet He had to learn obedience through suffering” (Hebrews 5:8).

Patience isn’t just a virtue but a reflection of our obedience to His will and acceptance of His divine timing and order in our lives.   

 

Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word. 

Jeremiah 1:12 NKJV 

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, 
But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. 

Isaiah 55:11 NKJV 

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ 

Philippians1:6 NKJV 

Unashamed

“And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and they were not ashamed” Genesis 2:25.

Whenever I’m around a toddler, I find their lack of guile intriguing. They might be a bit wary of a strange face initially, however once they get comfortable with you there’s no social filter. They’re completely trusting and can ask strangers for anything they want. That changes with time as adolescence kicks in and social graces are learned.   One way through which these graces are often taught is the advocacy of self-sufficiency or independence; however, true self-sufficiency is a myth.

We all need others. The benefits of communion include second-party feedback, encouragement, reinforcement of shared values and external validation; we tend to stay healthy when rooted in healthy communities rather than in isolation. Yet, problematic loneliness is an emerging global health issue.

The negative cultural connotation attached to vulnerability as well as negative consequences of being open and honest in our relationships are major factors that perpetuate the status quo. Shall we examine them together?

First, let’s look at what vulnerability is: being vulnerable is the quality of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally. This state might be due to temporary or permanent frailty, fragility or feebleness. Vulnerability is a relative concept and often a post-hoc discovery; only becoming obvious when our defences are overwhelmed. It’s also stimulus-specific (for example, a house on a hill might be immune to floods but prone to wind damage) and is often the consequence of multiple previous, non-fatal attacks (leading to weakened defences).

Misinterpreting vulnerability for absolute weakness often leads to cultural stereotypes that promote social isolation and paradoxically make us more prone to attack. A lone wolf might project strength and independence by day; come nightfall however, the threat of attacks from smaller animals in packs (e.g hyenas) becomes very real. Apparently, being blind to areas in which we’re vulnerable leaves us constantly vulnerable.

We often underestimate the behaviour-modulating effects of past trauma. Fears about receptive (rejection, judgement, unfair criticism) and expressive (inadequacy, hurting others) consequences of being vulnerable are valid reasons to lock up and hide away especially when past scars were inflicted by those from whom we least expected them. The danger with avoidance reactions however is that they provide a false sense of security; no matter how many insulating layers we pile up or hide underneath, we’re still prone to being triggered by the appropriate stimuli.

How do we cope with our vulnerabilities?

First, embrace and own them. They’re as much parts of our persona as our other attributes so why not acknowledge and work around them? Cases in point; the extremely introspective and reflective Apostle Paul acknowledged the war between his renewed mind and Adamic flesh in his letter to the Romans (Romans 7:21-23) just as Jesus inadvertently divulged to his disciples that He had second thoughts about going through the ordeal of the cross (Matthew 26:39). These weren’t random acts of weakness in otherwise stoic individuals but rather expressions of vulnerability within safe spaces where they were unlikely to be criticised or judged.

And that brings us to the concept of safe spaces, which I like to refer to as interactions where we can let our defences down and be ourselves without fear of judgement or criticism. They could be one-on-one or group interactions: a spouse, close friend, mentor or therapist. These moments of introspection and complete honesty are vital in our personal growth journeys.

Finally, we would do well to identify a reason to press on despite feeling vulnerable. Often, the desire to complete a higher purpose or role we are meant to fulfil provides enough fuel to power on. For Christ, it was recognising that His work on the cross would bring mankind redemption while Paul’s encounter on the road to Damascus left him with a sense of purpose that he wasn’t going to abandon despite his imperfections.

Feeling broken or imperfect might tempt us into retreating into our shells or consider ourselves write-offs as far His will is concerned. However, we’ll do well to remember we’re built for His purpose and not our perceptions of perfection.

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of power may be of God and not of us”.  2 Corinthians 4:7

“And He said unto me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness’. ….. therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong”.  2 Corinthians 12:9-10