"Sacred Reading" ch. 4, vs. 24-25

 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. (vs. 24-25)

Some years ago I had a co-worker who had a rather difficult upbringing that involved a certain degree of emotional abuse. One of the problems of constantly being told that you are not good enough and a worthless person is that you begin to believe it and then act accordingly.

This young lady, who was a self-described Christian, was quite taken with the popular notion of getting one's comeuppance that is the modern, western notion of karma. Instead of a punative re-incarnation, those deserving of punishment and retribution are now left to the disposition of God's judgment Who will surely "give them what they deserve."

A couple of issues with this: 1. it is a rather one-sided conception that can be motivated by nothing more than the desire for revenge on the part of those who feel powerless and 2. a replacement image is not necessarily the same as a complete "baptism" of outside conceptions into a genuinely Christian framework.

But I understand why people are attracted to this way of thinking. It is a psychological refuge for the damaged and powerless, it is a way to absolve ourselves of some of the hard work of forgiveness, and it allows us to feel justified for dragging around the burden of our emotional baggage and letting others live rent-free inside our heads. Haven't the squatters in your brain made enough of a mess? They've been there long enough. It's well past time to kick them out, realise just how much you are indeed worth to the Father Who created you and loves you enough to call you to faith in Him each and every moment of your life and get on with living a life of true freedom.

Easier said than done, I realise. But at the same time, instead of depending on a falsely "christianised karma", this is the life we work at and struggle to attain as children of the living God.