Made to break!


I recently noticed that some dead spots were appearing near the bottom of my TV screen, so we dug out the warranty from our cupboard, and to our relief, the 3-year warranty was still valid - just one month to go! 

When the repairman turned up, he took one look at the TV and concluded - nope, this model was too old, so he didn't even have the parts to repair it. So we got a brand new TV from the manufacturer! Woohoo!



You know, things didn't use to break so quickly. I happen to have an old TV in the bedroom. You know, those non-smart, non-HD, non-everything TVs. And man, those things refuse to kick the bucket. 

Same thing with my old microwave, electric kettle, etc. I bought some of these things when I first got married, more than 2 decades ago. Those things were built to last!



But these days, things break a lot faster. One big problem is the issue of deliberately irreplaceable batteries, especially in wireless devices like our mobiles, earphones, and laptops and so on. This is, in a sense, planned obsolescence by manufacturers to compel us to buy their latest gadget. 

Besides batteries, the other problem is that the old hardware simply can't keep up with the pace of change, with new software patches and enhancements. Essentially, these things are not made to last - they're literally made to break.



But why I am rambling on about my electronic devices? Well, I was walking with a friend the other day, and he observed that the argument for intelligent design in the universe is faulty. For example, our feet are so fragile that losing even a single toe makes us limp around awkwardly. 

As for our eyes? Well, they develop myopia early on in life, and perversely presbyopia later on, and they get cataracts and glaucoma. What kind of intelligent designer would make the human body like that? Clearly, we are the result of badly put-together random chance.



I thought about it for a second, and offered the alternative viewpoint. 

"I don't think so. We're made to break".

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well you know, when God made us, we were made for eternity, to have fellowship with Him. We're His friends. Made to last."

"Hmm."

"But when we chose to walk our own way out of Eden, away from God, things were broken. We once were made to last, but now are made to break."

"Hmmmmm. I didn't think of things that way."

"This world is not our home. This body is not our home. That's why it breaks. It's by design."

"Wow. You could make a Netflix series about this concept."

"Yes. Yes you probably could." I laughed!



But the part of us that is spirit - that doesn't break. That is made to last. And that's the precious part that Jesus came to reconcile to the Father.

This world is made to break. That's why bad things happen. This body is made to break. That's why it falls apart. Our little hopes and dreams are made to break. That's why they don't last. Suffering and disappointment aren't evidence that a good God doesn't exist. They're evidence of our separation from a good God. They're signposts that say, "not here!", but "over There!"



No one would argue that a mobile phone is the result of random chance. It's obviously the product of intelligent design. Expensively paid intelligent design! But designed to break. Because there's a better model out there.



In the same way, this world - from our bodies to our institutions and creations, and even nature itself - it's not the result of random chance. 

Buildings, bricks, pipes, wiring and wifi. Eyes, lens, iris, retina, optic nerve. Foot, phalange, muscle, tendon and ligament. Trees, roots, xylem, phloem, branch and leaf. They're intelligently designed. But in this world, as beautiful and amazingly designed as they are... they're still designed to break. 

But in the forever to come in Christ... we are designed to last. With a forever warranty. No more parts to replace. And that can start now! Loved deeply to our very core, behind all the crumbly bits, to the part that just doesn't break.

"In your hearts, revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" 1 Peter 3:15


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