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What follows when you say "no"

 
Tim Thornborough | 6 Jul 2015

They voted "No" and the reactions could not have been more different.

There was flag waving and brave talk; a sense of pride and an endless stream of brave self-justfying words. There was the demonisation of those who had done everything they could to help. There was a momentary feel-good atmosphere before the crushing reality of what they had done came home.

And for those who observed from a distance there was a wistful shaking of the head, over the blindness and sadness and the inevitability of what would eventually come.

They live in denial. They think the debt is a phantom that you can just wish away. They think that things can go on and there is no need for change, and some day, somehow it will all just turn out right.

Some people saw it, and threw themselves into work. But the size of the problem is far too great for any, or even many to influence. Like a colony of ants trying to flatten Everest.

As the darkest of dark clouds filled the horizons their eyes searched for rescue. But their only hope was to turn to the one they said "no" to.

Romans 6 v 23: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear...

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image: Pixabay CC0 Public Domain

Anon

9:54 PM AEST on July 6th
I feel uncomfortable reading this. Absolutely we turn to Christ the one we said no to when we repent and believe. Feels a bit strange that that debt that has been forgiven by Christ is mized in with an illustration that obviously picks up on the recent referendum in Greece. It suggests a political view on that referendum that gets in the way of the main point, that we have a real debt that can not be written off etc. unless we do turn to the one who we said 'no' to. If I was Greek I'd vote 'No' too.

Tim Thornborough

11:45 PM AEST on July 6th
Thanks for the comment. All illustrations are imperfect, and you are right that there is a disparity between the financial debt and economic plight of the "Greek problem" and the consequences of our "no" to God.

I wrote the piece because I was struck by the similarities in response that we have towards debt - both to God and the IMF. Denial, fruitless labour, anger etc. I agree there are moral complexities to the debt crisis that are absent in our rebellion against the Living God... and there my illustration breaks down. Apologies if I offended. Tim

Tim Thornborough

Tim Thornborough is the founder and Publishing Director of The Good Book Company. He is series editor of Explore Bible-reading notes, the author of The Very Best Bible Stories series, and has contributed to many books published by The Good Book Company and others. Tim is married to Kathy, and they have three adult daughters.