Factoring . . .
. . . is the act or process of separating an equation, formula, cryptogram, etc., into its component parts.
Life presents us with moments of total dismay and confusion. The human mind seems to long for compartmentalization. When we are able to separate things and events into their credentialed categories, . . . well, we feel better. We succumb to the delusion that in so doing, things become organized. We can handle them better. We need to do this in order to better interpret, to better understand terrible things, which, because of their mind-numbing impact, render us impotent.
When humanity was struggling with a deadly virus called COVID-19, (1.1 million died in USA alone) or the Coronavirus, some were quick to call it an "Act of God." I'm not sure that they mean any substantive theological implication using this phrase. I guess it is just a way of saying, 'this is something beyond human control. This is something humans did not create.'
There is, of course, those fringe sayers of nonsense who will attribute this disaster to the judgment of God. This is the same crowd who asked of Jesus, "Who sinned, that this man was born blind?" Such questions are best marginalized and not taken honestly.
Factoring seems natural to most of us. We somehow need to interpret in order to comprehend. It helps us to sort out and make sense of the insane. "A single death is a tragedy. A million is a statistic." -- the succinct opinion of Josef Stalin.
Despite Mr. Stalin's perverted assessment, the loss, the staggering grief of our national tragedy is something our minds truly cannot grasp. Suffice it to say, compassion and the desire to come to the rescue is the only value that seems worth considering.
For those who remain untouched by this virus, for those of us who see but cannot comprehend, for those of us who possess the heart of God, those of us who would ask, 'What can we do to help?' Those of us who are in pain because our fellow humans are in pain and with whom we vicariously identify, may find some solace in these simple words . . .
Deep calls to deep.
In the roar of its crashing water,
the waves and breakers sweep over me.
But every day, and through it all,
the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is constantly with me,
And I can speak with the God of my life;
Indeed, I speak with God who is my Rock.
So is our factoring a good thing, or a bad thing? It is an attempt to create a path through chaos (or a mess), so in the event that this effort succeeds, it most certainly is a good thing. The ancient proverb regarding the way to eat an elephant is "one bite at a time."
The danger of compartmentalization, however, is depersonalization. It is possible to become so organized and antiseptic that human sensitivity is lost. When this happens, there needs to be an adjustment in our factoring. Bureaucracy is the nemesis of feeling and compassion.
So, in our factoring, let us factor this: God sees your path. He is with you every step you take (or every bite out of the elephant). Accept his love, and through it know that He is acutely aware of your crises, and that He is engaged. This did not happen in a closet, where in fact if it did, He would have seen it anyway.
-- PDM
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