“Dad look at this!” Peter exclaimed as he rushed through my office door.
“What is it son?” I asked.
“An ‘A,’ an ‘A,’ I finally got an ‘A’!”
“Congratulations son, what was it for?”
“We had to write a paper about what we wanted to do when we grow up.”
“And what did you write about?”
“I said that when I grow up I want to change the world!”
“That is a great goal. I am really proud of your enthusiasm. How do you plan to go about this magnificent feat?”
“I don’t know, maybe some day I’ll be president. Or maybe I’ll become a scientist who cures all diseases. Or maybe I’ll write a book that will change the way people think about stuff! What do you think? How should I go about my noble venture?”
“First off I would tell you that your heart is in the right place and I am very proud of you. Next I would tell you that to change the world is a facade; to change your world is your destiny.”
“What does that mean?”
“So often we focus so much on changing or improving the world ‘out there’ that we neglect the world that is right in front of us. Many people have fallen in love with the idea of man and sought to make things better for man in the abstract, while at the same time they have failed to love those right around them. In fact it is ironic but true that often times the more one loves the idea of man the more one comes to hate and detest those closest to him. To love a man that lives far away is easy, to love our neighbors, those closest to us, is difficult. If you notice Christ doesn’t command us to love all men, but only our neighbors. That is because if one can actually truly love those closest to him, those that he knows best, faults and all, he will have no problem loving the man he has never met. So by all means pray for and seek to improve the life of the man you have never met, but be sure that you love those around you in the process.
“Second, you must remember that those around you are the ones you have the greatest impact upon. Many people have labored to write a book or play or do some great thing to influence the masses. In doing this they neglected those close to them and in doing so lose the opportunity to truly impact anyone. Do books and movies affect us? Of course! But I doubt one can point to a book or a movie (save the Bible) that has impacted their life more than their parents or their siblings or their spouse or their friends. You see a book or movie may reach millions, but its impact is slight. Whereas your closest group of companions and family will be small in number, but your ability to impact them will be tremendous. If there is a tsunami in Indonesia, really, what can you do? You can pray for them, maybe give some money, but you really can’t change much. But if your elderly neighbor needs help shoveling her driveway you can easily help her and have an immediate and significant impact on her life. Too often we worry about things we cannot change instead of changing what we can change. Or think of Dostoevsky. He has been read by tens of millions and has affected countless lives. He is one of my favorite authors and I can say that he affected my life. But the impact of his writings on my life compared to the impact my parents or teachers or friends had on my life is next to nothing. Again I tell you, instead of focusing on things outside of your control, focus on the world in front of you that you can and do affect and change.
“As for you and your development inspire change by example. Do not lord it over others, but seek to serve. And take responsibility for your actions, blaming others will not fix anything. Change begins from within. Realizing your fault is the first step to correcting it. But remember you cannot correct your faults on your own and focusing on them will not remedy. Focus on Christ and your imperfections will fade away as He sanctifies you. And most of all, be honest with God. Do not pretend to be something you are not. Be honest and present yourself to him as you are. He loves you as you are! You do not need to pretend to be anything else. He will meet you where you are at—no matter where that may be.”
Monday, February 25, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Courage
I could hear from the other room the excitement of my children. They were watching TV and whatever they were watching was really impressing them. As I walked into the room to join them I heard one of my children adamantly exclaiming: “that is so freakin sweet! Can you believe that house? I would give anything to live like that!” I sat down and watched the show with them. If there was anyone who admired the guest of the show more than my children it was the guest himself. He was obviously very proud of all he had accomplished and the pile of material goods he had accumulated for himself. The only thing bigger than his house was his ego and it was obvious the man had given little to no thought to anything or any body beside himself for most of his life. At the commercial break I hit the mute button and struck up a conversation with my kids.
“What show is this?” I asked.
“MTV Cribs,” a couple of them replied in unison.
“And what do you think about his man? Is he the type of man to be admired?”
“Is he ever!” Peter replied with enthusiasm. I was unsurprised at this response, but still a bit disappointed.
“Why don’t we turn this off and I’ll tell you a story of the type of man that should be admired and emulated. During the time of the Roman Republic a great Etruscan army surrounded the city of Rome. A plague had just passed through Rome. Many had died and many more were still weak with sickness. Because of the effects of the plague Rome was simply incapable of mustering an army for battle. There was no way Rome could resist their enemy. The end of Rome appeared to be imminent. The Romans were faced with two equally depressing choices. They could surrender now and become the slaves of the Etruscans, or they could slowly starve to death as their city was besieged. As the nobles debated these options a man name Marcus stood up and said he had a plan to save Rome. He said he would secretly enter the Etruscan camp and assassinate their king. This would cause confusion and accusations of treachery among the Etruscans. The army would fight amongst itself and have no choice but to return to their home in order to make right their internal division.
“The nobles of Rome agreed to this plan and gave Marcus their blessing. That night Marcus snuck out of Rome and into the Etruscan camp. By the time he entered their camp it was too dark to find the king so he slept there and waited for the next day. The next morning as he woke Marcus saw a long line beginning to form, leading up to a platform. All the troops were in line, so Marcus quickly got into the line so as to avoid detection. On the top of the platform there were two men who were giving the soldiers their weekly pay. One man was the king and the other was the king’s secretary, but because they were both dressed royally Marcus had no way of knowing which one was which. He desired to ask an Etruscan soldier which man was the king, but he knew this would be utter folly for it would betray him as an intruder. Marcus knew that he had a chance to kill only one of the men, for the second he struck one of them he would be immediately captured and executed. He did not fear death and was in fact happy that he could sacrifice his life on behalf of his kinsmen, but he did not want his death to be in vain. He wanted to kill the king and thereby save Rome.
“As Marcus’ turn approached he unsheathed his sword and struck the man to his right, killing him in an instant. He was quickly captured and bound and thrown into a tent. Within minutes the second of the two men from the platform entered the tent. ‘I am very upset with you for killing my secretary.’ With this Marcus’ heart sank. His mission was a failure; he had killed the wrong man. The king continued, ‘know this you, you will be punished. You are to be burned alive this very day and be assured that tonight I will capture your city and burn it to the ground.’ With this Marcus broke his arm free. The king was at first startled by this sudden movement then horrified at what followed next. Marcus took his arm and thrust it into the fire already burning in the middle of the tent. The king watched in amazement as his arm burned without Marcus showing any sign of pain.
“As his arm burned Marcus looked directly at the king and spoke boldly to him. Marcus spoke with passion and the longer he spoke the louder and more commanding his voice became. ‘Look and see what utter contempt the Romans hold their bodies in compared to lives of their kinsmen! I am ready to burn a thousand times and more on behalf of them! Be warned O king that I am merely the first of many more who will come to take your life. Me and five-hundred of my brothers made a pact that none of us would eat until we had taken your life. Bless the gods I was the first one chosen for this glorious mission! To my shame I have failed, but I have no doubt that the man who follows me will succeed. And if he does not succeed, the man who follows him will succeed. Be sure of this great king, Rome will not rest until you are dead! Seek to take the city, but know that you will take it at the cost of your life!’
“The Etruscan king ordered his men to pull Marcus from the fire and hold him. He left the tent and went to his private chambers to think things over. The king was very much disturbed by the scene he had just witnessed. He had never before seen such courage, never seen a man live his life with such reckless abandonment and sacrifice himself so freely and eagerly on behalf of his kinsmen. The king was sick with worry over the idea of facing another man like Marcus, let alone the notion of facing 499 more men like Marcus! He would never have another moment of true rest for the rest of his life. This was too much for the king to bear. Rome was not worth this great of a price. He ordered his men to pack up and prepare to journey home. Before leaving he returned to Marcus. He said to him ‘know this: today you have lost your arm, but your sacrifice has saved your city. If Roman men are truly as courageous and virtuous as you, then Roman men are to be honored above all other men on earth. Your courage and sacrifice has not only saved your kinsmen, but it has saved your life. Today my army will leave your city and I spare your life and honor you as a greater man than myself.’ Marcus bowed in humble gratitude as the king put the garland of victors around his neck.
“Marcus entered the Roman gates as a hero. There were great feasts, parades, and celebrations in his honor for many weeks and his name was honored and revered for many generations. Now, do you see my children the difference between Marcus and the men you see on TV?” They all nodded their heads. “A true man does not live for himself. Living for oneself is not greatness, it is selfishness and it is childish. Greatness is living boldly and sacrificially one’s life on behalf of others as Marcus did. Imitate him, be quick to suffer and sacrifice on behalf of others. Be courageous and do not fear the consequences of doing what is right. For if you live that way, like Marcus, you will bring freedom to others. The riches of this world will all come to pass. Do not concern yourself with these things that will fade away, rather invest yourselves in that which is everlasting.”
“What show is this?” I asked.
“MTV Cribs,” a couple of them replied in unison.
“And what do you think about his man? Is he the type of man to be admired?”
“Is he ever!” Peter replied with enthusiasm. I was unsurprised at this response, but still a bit disappointed.
“Why don’t we turn this off and I’ll tell you a story of the type of man that should be admired and emulated. During the time of the Roman Republic a great Etruscan army surrounded the city of Rome. A plague had just passed through Rome. Many had died and many more were still weak with sickness. Because of the effects of the plague Rome was simply incapable of mustering an army for battle. There was no way Rome could resist their enemy. The end of Rome appeared to be imminent. The Romans were faced with two equally depressing choices. They could surrender now and become the slaves of the Etruscans, or they could slowly starve to death as their city was besieged. As the nobles debated these options a man name Marcus stood up and said he had a plan to save Rome. He said he would secretly enter the Etruscan camp and assassinate their king. This would cause confusion and accusations of treachery among the Etruscans. The army would fight amongst itself and have no choice but to return to their home in order to make right their internal division.
“The nobles of Rome agreed to this plan and gave Marcus their blessing. That night Marcus snuck out of Rome and into the Etruscan camp. By the time he entered their camp it was too dark to find the king so he slept there and waited for the next day. The next morning as he woke Marcus saw a long line beginning to form, leading up to a platform. All the troops were in line, so Marcus quickly got into the line so as to avoid detection. On the top of the platform there were two men who were giving the soldiers their weekly pay. One man was the king and the other was the king’s secretary, but because they were both dressed royally Marcus had no way of knowing which one was which. He desired to ask an Etruscan soldier which man was the king, but he knew this would be utter folly for it would betray him as an intruder. Marcus knew that he had a chance to kill only one of the men, for the second he struck one of them he would be immediately captured and executed. He did not fear death and was in fact happy that he could sacrifice his life on behalf of his kinsmen, but he did not want his death to be in vain. He wanted to kill the king and thereby save Rome.
“As Marcus’ turn approached he unsheathed his sword and struck the man to his right, killing him in an instant. He was quickly captured and bound and thrown into a tent. Within minutes the second of the two men from the platform entered the tent. ‘I am very upset with you for killing my secretary.’ With this Marcus’ heart sank. His mission was a failure; he had killed the wrong man. The king continued, ‘know this you, you will be punished. You are to be burned alive this very day and be assured that tonight I will capture your city and burn it to the ground.’ With this Marcus broke his arm free. The king was at first startled by this sudden movement then horrified at what followed next. Marcus took his arm and thrust it into the fire already burning in the middle of the tent. The king watched in amazement as his arm burned without Marcus showing any sign of pain.
“As his arm burned Marcus looked directly at the king and spoke boldly to him. Marcus spoke with passion and the longer he spoke the louder and more commanding his voice became. ‘Look and see what utter contempt the Romans hold their bodies in compared to lives of their kinsmen! I am ready to burn a thousand times and more on behalf of them! Be warned O king that I am merely the first of many more who will come to take your life. Me and five-hundred of my brothers made a pact that none of us would eat until we had taken your life. Bless the gods I was the first one chosen for this glorious mission! To my shame I have failed, but I have no doubt that the man who follows me will succeed. And if he does not succeed, the man who follows him will succeed. Be sure of this great king, Rome will not rest until you are dead! Seek to take the city, but know that you will take it at the cost of your life!’
“The Etruscan king ordered his men to pull Marcus from the fire and hold him. He left the tent and went to his private chambers to think things over. The king was very much disturbed by the scene he had just witnessed. He had never before seen such courage, never seen a man live his life with such reckless abandonment and sacrifice himself so freely and eagerly on behalf of his kinsmen. The king was sick with worry over the idea of facing another man like Marcus, let alone the notion of facing 499 more men like Marcus! He would never have another moment of true rest for the rest of his life. This was too much for the king to bear. Rome was not worth this great of a price. He ordered his men to pack up and prepare to journey home. Before leaving he returned to Marcus. He said to him ‘know this: today you have lost your arm, but your sacrifice has saved your city. If Roman men are truly as courageous and virtuous as you, then Roman men are to be honored above all other men on earth. Your courage and sacrifice has not only saved your kinsmen, but it has saved your life. Today my army will leave your city and I spare your life and honor you as a greater man than myself.’ Marcus bowed in humble gratitude as the king put the garland of victors around his neck.
“Marcus entered the Roman gates as a hero. There were great feasts, parades, and celebrations in his honor for many weeks and his name was honored and revered for many generations. Now, do you see my children the difference between Marcus and the men you see on TV?” They all nodded their heads. “A true man does not live for himself. Living for oneself is not greatness, it is selfishness and it is childish. Greatness is living boldly and sacrificially one’s life on behalf of others as Marcus did. Imitate him, be quick to suffer and sacrifice on behalf of others. Be courageous and do not fear the consequences of doing what is right. For if you live that way, like Marcus, you will bring freedom to others. The riches of this world will all come to pass. Do not concern yourself with these things that will fade away, rather invest yourselves in that which is everlasting.”
Monday, February 11, 2008
The Illusion of Failure
It was report card day and I could always tell within a moment how my children had done. David was the first in the door. He ran to me with his hands in the air waiving his report card above his head. “Look, look Dad, look! See how I’ve done!” He shouted at me.
“Well done,” I told him. “I am very proud of you.” One by one my kids came in and I congratulated them on their hard work and success. Peter was the last through the door. He looked sullen and moped towards me with his head hung low.
“I’m sorry Dad, I failed again,” he said. And with that he began to slink away.
“Just a moment Peter, I’d like to have a word with you.”
“I’m sorry Dad, but I am just not in the mood to get yelled at tonight.”
Yelled at? It ached my heart to know that was what Peter was expecting. “Peter, I’m not going to yell at you, I would just like a word.” He turned around slowly and trudged back to me. He sat gloomily in silence, waiting for me to speak. “What happened?” I asked.
“I don’t know!” He replied angrily. “I worked so hard this semester and I still failed! I don’t know what I can do differently. Things come so easy for David, why can’t I be like him? I am just ashamed at constantly failing you!”
“First off you are not David. You are unique and so is he. You both have different strengths and weaknesses. Some things will come easy for him and be difficult for you. Some things you will do more naturally than he does. I love you both. And you both have different gifts to be used for different purposes and I will not have you comparing yourself to him or anyone else, this is something that must come to an end.
“Next, you need to know what I ask of you. I do not and have never asked you to perform to some level to gain my affection or approval. All that I ask of you is that you love me and obey me and do whatever you do to the best of your ability. I know you worked as hard as you could this semester and I want you to know I am so proud of you.
“As you grow older you may have a weakness with anger or with lust. You may work hard every day and pray to resist these weaknesses and still fall prey to them. You may look at your brother and see that he lives quite free of these things. Know this you that he is not a better man. He has his own weaknesses that he must battle. One strength or weakness is no greater or worse than another. One may be more obvious so men judge it better or worse, but remember that God does not look at the things that men look at, He looks at the heart. Think of the Israelites of the Old Testament when they would go off to battle. God only asked that they obey His instructions for battle and fight with all their hearts. The victory did not depend on their skill or strength—victory came from God alone. The same is true for you Peter. Do not depend on your own strength and do not put the weight of victory or defeat on your shoulders. When you face spiritual battles obey God and fight with all your strength and wait on Him to deliver you.
“When you try hard and don’t succeed, whether it be in a battle against the flesh or some other endeavor like school, know that I do not doubt you for a moment. You will stumble, you will make mistakes, just remember that mistakes do not equal failure. Failure is a choice: you only fail when you give up. All your mistakes are already forgiven, no matter how significant they may appear to you. Know too that you cannot do anything that would cause me to love you less. My love is not contingent on your actions. It does not wax and wane according to your perceived failures or successes. My love is true and pure and it will never waiver. I repeat: there is nothing you are capable of doing that would cause me to love you any less.
“I want you to know and remember this so that you may live freely. A fear of failure paralyzes so many, but you need not live with it. You are free to fail. It is as the Psalmist wrote: though I stumble, I will not fall headlong for thy hand holds and guides me. Live with boldness and confidence in my love and the freedom that my love produces in your life. Look at your mistakes as a learning tool. They can make you stronger if you let them, but be warned they can also destroy you if you fear them or obsess over them. Utilize your errors. Learn from them, teach others what you have learned, but do not wallow in them. Do not give them power over your life. When you make a mistake do not focus it, rather focus on my love of you. Think of the stories you learned as a kid about Benjamin Franklin and his quest for moral perfection. As great a man as he was he could not live in complete virtue. Neither can you live perfectly on your own so there is no point focusing on your mistakes and trying to correct them all by your own power.
“A man laboring on a great journey will never complete it if he focuses only on that which is around him. He must remember his end goal in order to sustain himself throughout his journey. Think of a man making his way through the jungle. As he stops to rest a cloud of flies descend upon him. As they begin to bite him he tries to strike them one by one. If he only focuses on those flies he will not only be unable to kill them all, but he will make no progress in his journey. But as he remembers his goal and marches toward it the cloud of flies will simply pass away. The same goes with you. If you focus on your sins and mistakes not only will you be unable to correct them, but you will grow no closer to your life’s goal. You must remember your life’s end and purpose, it is to love and be loved by God. As you remember this purpose and strive toward it and grow closer to God all your imperfections and mistakes will naturally fade away.”
“Well done,” I told him. “I am very proud of you.” One by one my kids came in and I congratulated them on their hard work and success. Peter was the last through the door. He looked sullen and moped towards me with his head hung low.
“I’m sorry Dad, I failed again,” he said. And with that he began to slink away.
“Just a moment Peter, I’d like to have a word with you.”
“I’m sorry Dad, but I am just not in the mood to get yelled at tonight.”
Yelled at? It ached my heart to know that was what Peter was expecting. “Peter, I’m not going to yell at you, I would just like a word.” He turned around slowly and trudged back to me. He sat gloomily in silence, waiting for me to speak. “What happened?” I asked.
“I don’t know!” He replied angrily. “I worked so hard this semester and I still failed! I don’t know what I can do differently. Things come so easy for David, why can’t I be like him? I am just ashamed at constantly failing you!”
“First off you are not David. You are unique and so is he. You both have different strengths and weaknesses. Some things will come easy for him and be difficult for you. Some things you will do more naturally than he does. I love you both. And you both have different gifts to be used for different purposes and I will not have you comparing yourself to him or anyone else, this is something that must come to an end.
“Next, you need to know what I ask of you. I do not and have never asked you to perform to some level to gain my affection or approval. All that I ask of you is that you love me and obey me and do whatever you do to the best of your ability. I know you worked as hard as you could this semester and I want you to know I am so proud of you.
“As you grow older you may have a weakness with anger or with lust. You may work hard every day and pray to resist these weaknesses and still fall prey to them. You may look at your brother and see that he lives quite free of these things. Know this you that he is not a better man. He has his own weaknesses that he must battle. One strength or weakness is no greater or worse than another. One may be more obvious so men judge it better or worse, but remember that God does not look at the things that men look at, He looks at the heart. Think of the Israelites of the Old Testament when they would go off to battle. God only asked that they obey His instructions for battle and fight with all their hearts. The victory did not depend on their skill or strength—victory came from God alone. The same is true for you Peter. Do not depend on your own strength and do not put the weight of victory or defeat on your shoulders. When you face spiritual battles obey God and fight with all your strength and wait on Him to deliver you.
“When you try hard and don’t succeed, whether it be in a battle against the flesh or some other endeavor like school, know that I do not doubt you for a moment. You will stumble, you will make mistakes, just remember that mistakes do not equal failure. Failure is a choice: you only fail when you give up. All your mistakes are already forgiven, no matter how significant they may appear to you. Know too that you cannot do anything that would cause me to love you less. My love is not contingent on your actions. It does not wax and wane according to your perceived failures or successes. My love is true and pure and it will never waiver. I repeat: there is nothing you are capable of doing that would cause me to love you any less.
“I want you to know and remember this so that you may live freely. A fear of failure paralyzes so many, but you need not live with it. You are free to fail. It is as the Psalmist wrote: though I stumble, I will not fall headlong for thy hand holds and guides me. Live with boldness and confidence in my love and the freedom that my love produces in your life. Look at your mistakes as a learning tool. They can make you stronger if you let them, but be warned they can also destroy you if you fear them or obsess over them. Utilize your errors. Learn from them, teach others what you have learned, but do not wallow in them. Do not give them power over your life. When you make a mistake do not focus it, rather focus on my love of you. Think of the stories you learned as a kid about Benjamin Franklin and his quest for moral perfection. As great a man as he was he could not live in complete virtue. Neither can you live perfectly on your own so there is no point focusing on your mistakes and trying to correct them all by your own power.
“A man laboring on a great journey will never complete it if he focuses only on that which is around him. He must remember his end goal in order to sustain himself throughout his journey. Think of a man making his way through the jungle. As he stops to rest a cloud of flies descend upon him. As they begin to bite him he tries to strike them one by one. If he only focuses on those flies he will not only be unable to kill them all, but he will make no progress in his journey. But as he remembers his goal and marches toward it the cloud of flies will simply pass away. The same goes with you. If you focus on your sins and mistakes not only will you be unable to correct them, but you will grow no closer to your life’s goal. You must remember your life’s end and purpose, it is to love and be loved by God. As you remember this purpose and strive toward it and grow closer to God all your imperfections and mistakes will naturally fade away.”
Thursday, February 7, 2008
The Treasure
“He is such a moron! You can’t believe this guy, just a total idiot!”
“Don’t you think you are carrying on a bit too much? You go too far.”
“No, I don’t go far enough. I hate that jerkface so much. But I don’t know why I get so upset because he’s not worth getting upset over! He is worthless, nothing!”
At this I walked into the room I witnessed two of my boys having quite an adamant discussion. As I came in the boys quieted and looked up at me. “Peter, what has got you so riled up?” I asked.
“It’s Joey L. He’s like the world’s biggest butthole!” At that word I gave Peter a look and he toned it down a bit. “Well, I just don’t know what to do dad, Joey is just too much.” He sighed in desperation. “He was making fun of you, saying you don’t know anything. I was trying to explain to him the stuff we’ve been talking about the past few nights, but he thought it was all rubbish and proceeded to make fun of you for teaching me those things. He is such an idiot! Doesn’t he know the whole reason I was talking to him was for his benefit and not mine?”
“It is good that you want to share the truth with others. I am very proud of you for that. But when you do so it is of the utmost importance that you at all times keep in mind their value.”
“It seems like there are a lot of things on earth with more value than Joey!”
“If you think that you are mistaken. Let me tell you a story. Back in Rome during the time of the republic a great hole opened up in the middle of the forum. This was a massive tear in the earth and it grew gradually each day. The citizens of Rome did not know what to do so they consulted the oracle. The oracle confirmed that indeed the hole was growing and stated that, in fact, it would continue to grow every day until it consumed all of Rome. The people asked the oracle what they must do to stop it. The oracle said there was only one way to stop it: they must throw the greatest treasure in all of Rome into the hole. The people asked what this great treasure was, but the oracle had no response.
“The people gathered together all the great riches of Rome, all the gold, silver, and precious stones, and flung them at once into the hole, but the hole remained. Next they gathered together all their great books and plays and heaved them together into the giant hole, yet still the hole remained. Finally they tore down their great temple for Jupiter and hurled it as one into the hole, but the hole did not disappear.
“The people were despondent. They had given up their material wealth, but that had not satisfied the hole. If material things were not the greatest treasure of Rome, they thought, surely their ideas and learning must be their greatest treasure. But this too was not Rome’s greatest treasure. Of course, they realized, it must be our ancient religion and sacred rituals. But this too turned out to be false. Wealth, knowledge, religion: all had failed; none were the greatest treasure of Rome. The people were resigned, defeated, they all planned to pack their things and leave Rome. All of them that is, save one. Flavious was a man of great discernment and understanding. He begged the people to stay one more hour for he had discovered the greatest treasure in Rome and if they would wait one more hour near the forum they would see the hole close with their very eyes. When asked what this great treasure was, he declined to tell them. Some thought that Flavious was a fool and so they left. Others thought the oracle was mistaken or lying and that nothing would close this great hole. Both of these groups missed out on a tremendous miracle due to their unbelief. But most believed the oracle and understood that Flavious was a wise man, so they stayed at the forum and waited for his return.
“True to his word Flavious returned within the hour. He was wearing his military uniform and mounted on his trusted steed. When the people saw him they began to murmur amongst themselves. ‘Where is this great treasure?’ They asked. ‘This is nonsense, or worse, madness, the man has come empty handed.’ Others accused him of pulling a cruel prank. But in an instant all their whispers were quieted. Flavious kicked his horse and to the horror of the crowd began to gallop at full speed toward the hole. A couple people yelled out, beseeching him to stop, but there was no stopping him. He leapt into the hole and the moment he entered the hole it violently and instantaneously closed shut. The people rejoiced and for a long time after that they honored and remembered Flavious as wise and courageous man.”
“But what was his treasure? What did he take with him that closed the hole?”
“He took nothing with him, he simply took himself. He realized that he, not individually, but as a person, as a citizen, was the greatest treasure in Rome. A lot of people today fail to apprehend this truth. They think that material things are more valuable than people, so in their greed they trample over people to increase their wealth. Others think that ideas are more valuable than people. They sacrifice the lives and welfare of others all in the name of socialism, fascism, environmentalism, or whatever their cause is. Finally some hold their religion above the value of others. They hold an old tradition to be so valuable that the good of the people may be subject to it. This occurs blatantly in human sacrifice scenarios and less obviously in, say, the Hindu’s honoring of a cow.”
“But what about our religion? Millions have been martyred for their faith. Wasn’t their faith, the truth they held unto more valuable than a human life?”
“First off son you must remember that ours is not a religion. It is not a list of sacred rites and divine does and don’ts—it is a relationship. And you are correct. Many Christians have rightly understood that this relationship with God is more valuable than their physical life and to be preserved and promoted even at the cost of their physical life. But these people in laying down their lives did not think their lives to be worthless. No, on the contrary, they saw their lives as blessings from God, just not as valuable as their life with God. You must also take note that these men never degraded or sacrificed the lives of others. They recognized the value that every person has by virtue of being a creation of God made in the very image of God. They remembered that it was out of His great love for man that God became man in order to save man from his sin. To try to share this truth with people without recognizing their value and God’s love for them is impossible. God does not steamroll over people with His truth. On the contrary He seeks to woo people towards Him with His love. In sharing God’s truth with others you must remember their value and the love God has for them and be sure you share with them in such a way as to both value and love them. For it does not matter what you say, all is in vain if you have not love.”
“Don’t you think you are carrying on a bit too much? You go too far.”
“No, I don’t go far enough. I hate that jerkface so much. But I don’t know why I get so upset because he’s not worth getting upset over! He is worthless, nothing!”
At this I walked into the room I witnessed two of my boys having quite an adamant discussion. As I came in the boys quieted and looked up at me. “Peter, what has got you so riled up?” I asked.
“It’s Joey L. He’s like the world’s biggest butthole!” At that word I gave Peter a look and he toned it down a bit. “Well, I just don’t know what to do dad, Joey is just too much.” He sighed in desperation. “He was making fun of you, saying you don’t know anything. I was trying to explain to him the stuff we’ve been talking about the past few nights, but he thought it was all rubbish and proceeded to make fun of you for teaching me those things. He is such an idiot! Doesn’t he know the whole reason I was talking to him was for his benefit and not mine?”
“It is good that you want to share the truth with others. I am very proud of you for that. But when you do so it is of the utmost importance that you at all times keep in mind their value.”
“It seems like there are a lot of things on earth with more value than Joey!”
“If you think that you are mistaken. Let me tell you a story. Back in Rome during the time of the republic a great hole opened up in the middle of the forum. This was a massive tear in the earth and it grew gradually each day. The citizens of Rome did not know what to do so they consulted the oracle. The oracle confirmed that indeed the hole was growing and stated that, in fact, it would continue to grow every day until it consumed all of Rome. The people asked the oracle what they must do to stop it. The oracle said there was only one way to stop it: they must throw the greatest treasure in all of Rome into the hole. The people asked what this great treasure was, but the oracle had no response.
“The people gathered together all the great riches of Rome, all the gold, silver, and precious stones, and flung them at once into the hole, but the hole remained. Next they gathered together all their great books and plays and heaved them together into the giant hole, yet still the hole remained. Finally they tore down their great temple for Jupiter and hurled it as one into the hole, but the hole did not disappear.
“The people were despondent. They had given up their material wealth, but that had not satisfied the hole. If material things were not the greatest treasure of Rome, they thought, surely their ideas and learning must be their greatest treasure. But this too was not Rome’s greatest treasure. Of course, they realized, it must be our ancient religion and sacred rituals. But this too turned out to be false. Wealth, knowledge, religion: all had failed; none were the greatest treasure of Rome. The people were resigned, defeated, they all planned to pack their things and leave Rome. All of them that is, save one. Flavious was a man of great discernment and understanding. He begged the people to stay one more hour for he had discovered the greatest treasure in Rome and if they would wait one more hour near the forum they would see the hole close with their very eyes. When asked what this great treasure was, he declined to tell them. Some thought that Flavious was a fool and so they left. Others thought the oracle was mistaken or lying and that nothing would close this great hole. Both of these groups missed out on a tremendous miracle due to their unbelief. But most believed the oracle and understood that Flavious was a wise man, so they stayed at the forum and waited for his return.
“True to his word Flavious returned within the hour. He was wearing his military uniform and mounted on his trusted steed. When the people saw him they began to murmur amongst themselves. ‘Where is this great treasure?’ They asked. ‘This is nonsense, or worse, madness, the man has come empty handed.’ Others accused him of pulling a cruel prank. But in an instant all their whispers were quieted. Flavious kicked his horse and to the horror of the crowd began to gallop at full speed toward the hole. A couple people yelled out, beseeching him to stop, but there was no stopping him. He leapt into the hole and the moment he entered the hole it violently and instantaneously closed shut. The people rejoiced and for a long time after that they honored and remembered Flavious as wise and courageous man.”
“But what was his treasure? What did he take with him that closed the hole?”
“He took nothing with him, he simply took himself. He realized that he, not individually, but as a person, as a citizen, was the greatest treasure in Rome. A lot of people today fail to apprehend this truth. They think that material things are more valuable than people, so in their greed they trample over people to increase their wealth. Others think that ideas are more valuable than people. They sacrifice the lives and welfare of others all in the name of socialism, fascism, environmentalism, or whatever their cause is. Finally some hold their religion above the value of others. They hold an old tradition to be so valuable that the good of the people may be subject to it. This occurs blatantly in human sacrifice scenarios and less obviously in, say, the Hindu’s honoring of a cow.”
“But what about our religion? Millions have been martyred for their faith. Wasn’t their faith, the truth they held unto more valuable than a human life?”
“First off son you must remember that ours is not a religion. It is not a list of sacred rites and divine does and don’ts—it is a relationship. And you are correct. Many Christians have rightly understood that this relationship with God is more valuable than their physical life and to be preserved and promoted even at the cost of their physical life. But these people in laying down their lives did not think their lives to be worthless. No, on the contrary, they saw their lives as blessings from God, just not as valuable as their life with God. You must also take note that these men never degraded or sacrificed the lives of others. They recognized the value that every person has by virtue of being a creation of God made in the very image of God. They remembered that it was out of His great love for man that God became man in order to save man from his sin. To try to share this truth with people without recognizing their value and God’s love for them is impossible. God does not steamroll over people with His truth. On the contrary He seeks to woo people towards Him with His love. In sharing God’s truth with others you must remember their value and the love God has for them and be sure you share with them in such a way as to both value and love them. For it does not matter what you say, all is in vain if you have not love.”
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
The Insect Bite
“I don’t disagree with you that it is better to follow God and obey His laws than to disobey them and rebel against Him (I want to go to Heaven after all), but how can you say that living under these restrictive laws is more freeing than living with no rules at all?”
“Peter, what do you know about rivers?”
“Well rivers are things of power; we harness their power through dams. Rivers are full of animal live and they irrigate the areas they pass through producing plant life. Because of the life they sustain and produce, as well as their supply of fresh water, people often live near them.”
“Good, I would also add that rivers are often things of beauty. So rivers are things of power, purity, and beauty and they give and sustain life. But are rivers always like this? What happens when a river floods?”
“When a river floods it destroys animal and human habitation. It ruins fields and kills all that gets in its way. Not only that but it picks up garbage and sediment, becoming dirty and murky. In a way you could call it powerful, but not powerful in a way that is useful or productive—no man can dam a raging, flooded river.”
“Yes, a flooded river is a bringer of death of destruction. It has not pure water, but tainted water. It is not beautiful, but rather muddy. It has power, but this power is destructive and not productive. The same is true of man. Think of the river banks as the laws God has given man to live by. When men live by these rules their lives are things of purity, beauty, and strength. Their lives are life giving and life sustaining. But when they break these bounds the reverse is true. They may feel powerful, but their power cannot be used for anything useful, only destruction. They bring death and destruction to their surroundings and lose the purity and beauty in their lives.”
“I this analogy is interesting, but things often have unintended consequences. A good action can have bad consequences or vice versa so while the conclusion of our analogy is likely, it is not proven. While consequences give us good indications, we cannot judge the truth of a matter by its consequences alone.”
“Ok, then let me ask you this, have you ever been bitten by a mosquito?”
“Of course, who hasn’t?”
“And what do you feel like doing the moment you realize you have a mosquito bite?”
“I feel like itching it.”
“How do you feel after you scratch that bite?”
“For a moment I feel good.”
“So scratching the bite satisfies your itch?”
“I don’t think I would say it satisfies the itch, at best it maybe gives you a moment of relief. For very soon after you have scratched the bite it will begin to itch again.”
“Can you satisfy the itch by scratching it more?”
“No, on the contrary it seems the more one scratches a bite, the more it will itch.”
“So do I understand you right that the more one scratches a bite, the less free he is from that itch?”
“I suppose that is one way of looking at it. The more you scratch a bite the more it will itch and the harder it will be for you to resist scratching it and in that way I suppose you are less free from the bite and the itch it produces.”
“Peter this is an excellent analogy to sin (sin being any act done outside the rules of God). We may desire to do something outside of the rules of God, and like scratching a bite we may think it will bring us satisfaction, but doing this act like scratching a bite does not produce any type of lasting satisfaction, but rather only a moment of respite. The more we act outside the rules of God the more we will desire to do this and the harder it will be for us to resist these desires—we will become enslaved to our desires. Though the fulfillment of our desires brings us no lasting satisfaction, it produces a moment of relief from our insatiable ‘itch’ and we find ourselves slaves to these feeling of relief and we begin to seek to reproduce them at any cost. Think of people that habitually live outside the rules of God. Is the drunk or drug addict living freely? Or are they unable to function without their medicines? Their itch is so great from constant their scratching they cannot function without daily relief. Or the glutton. Is he living freely and in self control? Or does he overeat because his addiction compels him to? The same could be said of obsessive shoppers and those who sexually immoral. Do you see now how living outside the rules of God is not freeing, but on the contrary enslaving?”
“Yeah I do.”
“Now I will ask you this. Do you think the drunkard enjoys his drink or the glutton his meal?”
“I don’t think so. They give themselves over to those things not because they want to, but because they have to. It is like they have a negative notion of happiness. At best they have temporary relief from their desire when they have the opportunity to indulge it. But at worst they are miserable because they are kept from the things they are enslaved to. Contrast this with someone who enjoys positive happiness. This man is satisfied with nothing, so at the worst he is merely content. Anything he is given then he may rightly desire and enjoy, for he has no sinful need for it. This man can enjoy food and drink for he is not enslaved to them.”
“Brilliant conclusion, I am very proud of you for that insight. Men who break God’s rules to fulfill their desires not only lose their freedom in doing this, but lose their ability to enjoy the very things they seek. Christ said that our Father understands that we need things of this world, but we are to seek first his kingdom and then all these other things will be given to us. By seeking his kingdom first we not only live freely, but are able to enjoy things and have, as you call it, positive happiness.”
“Can I ask one more question?”
“Of course.”
“Why is it that we can’t find true satisfaction outside of God?”
“Do you think animals experience true satisfaction on this earth?”
“I do. I think of the morning songs of the birds, the roaming of a stag, the playfulness of dolphins, and the joy of puppy—all these animals (and all others for that matter) seem to live in simple contentment and joy. They do not have addictions and depression even though they live with disease, death, and pain. They fight amongst themselves and even kill and eat one another, yet there is a certain harmony and goodness that pervades the animal kingdom.”
“Why do you think that is?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, we want to know why animals live differently than man. To figure this out I think the best question would be to ask: what is the biggest difference between man and animals?”
“It would have to be man’s soul and immortality (for even if animals have some type of soul or immortality, it is certainly a different type than man has).”
“I agree that that is the crucial difference between man and animals and the reason why men cannot find satisfaction in the things of this world while animals can. Animals are finite and because of this they can find pleasure in the finite, temporal things of this world. Man is eternal. That is why man cannot find true pleasure or satisfaction in the temporal things of this world. When man gives himself to these things the eternal part of him nags at his flesh, reminding him ‘you are made for far greater things than this.’ The more man tries to find pleasure in the things of this world the more his soul aches in grief. Man is everlasting and so he can only find lasting pleasure and satisfaction in the everlasting. God of course is this everlasting. When man has the greater, he is finally free to enjoy the lesser. Only by having God and the eternal may we enjoy the temporal things of this world. The man who desires God has God and all the goodness that God has given him to enjoy in this world. While the man who seeks after pleasure only in this world not only loses God, but forfeits his ability to enjoy the things of this earth as well. It is like Christ said, he who has much even more will be given to him, while he that has little, even the little he has will be taken from him.”
“Peter, what do you know about rivers?”
“Well rivers are things of power; we harness their power through dams. Rivers are full of animal live and they irrigate the areas they pass through producing plant life. Because of the life they sustain and produce, as well as their supply of fresh water, people often live near them.”
“Good, I would also add that rivers are often things of beauty. So rivers are things of power, purity, and beauty and they give and sustain life. But are rivers always like this? What happens when a river floods?”
“When a river floods it destroys animal and human habitation. It ruins fields and kills all that gets in its way. Not only that but it picks up garbage and sediment, becoming dirty and murky. In a way you could call it powerful, but not powerful in a way that is useful or productive—no man can dam a raging, flooded river.”
“Yes, a flooded river is a bringer of death of destruction. It has not pure water, but tainted water. It is not beautiful, but rather muddy. It has power, but this power is destructive and not productive. The same is true of man. Think of the river banks as the laws God has given man to live by. When men live by these rules their lives are things of purity, beauty, and strength. Their lives are life giving and life sustaining. But when they break these bounds the reverse is true. They may feel powerful, but their power cannot be used for anything useful, only destruction. They bring death and destruction to their surroundings and lose the purity and beauty in their lives.”
“I this analogy is interesting, but things often have unintended consequences. A good action can have bad consequences or vice versa so while the conclusion of our analogy is likely, it is not proven. While consequences give us good indications, we cannot judge the truth of a matter by its consequences alone.”
“Ok, then let me ask you this, have you ever been bitten by a mosquito?”
“Of course, who hasn’t?”
“And what do you feel like doing the moment you realize you have a mosquito bite?”
“I feel like itching it.”
“How do you feel after you scratch that bite?”
“For a moment I feel good.”
“So scratching the bite satisfies your itch?”
“I don’t think I would say it satisfies the itch, at best it maybe gives you a moment of relief. For very soon after you have scratched the bite it will begin to itch again.”
“Can you satisfy the itch by scratching it more?”
“No, on the contrary it seems the more one scratches a bite, the more it will itch.”
“So do I understand you right that the more one scratches a bite, the less free he is from that itch?”
“I suppose that is one way of looking at it. The more you scratch a bite the more it will itch and the harder it will be for you to resist scratching it and in that way I suppose you are less free from the bite and the itch it produces.”
“Peter this is an excellent analogy to sin (sin being any act done outside the rules of God). We may desire to do something outside of the rules of God, and like scratching a bite we may think it will bring us satisfaction, but doing this act like scratching a bite does not produce any type of lasting satisfaction, but rather only a moment of respite. The more we act outside the rules of God the more we will desire to do this and the harder it will be for us to resist these desires—we will become enslaved to our desires. Though the fulfillment of our desires brings us no lasting satisfaction, it produces a moment of relief from our insatiable ‘itch’ and we find ourselves slaves to these feeling of relief and we begin to seek to reproduce them at any cost. Think of people that habitually live outside the rules of God. Is the drunk or drug addict living freely? Or are they unable to function without their medicines? Their itch is so great from constant their scratching they cannot function without daily relief. Or the glutton. Is he living freely and in self control? Or does he overeat because his addiction compels him to? The same could be said of obsessive shoppers and those who sexually immoral. Do you see now how living outside the rules of God is not freeing, but on the contrary enslaving?”
“Yeah I do.”
“Now I will ask you this. Do you think the drunkard enjoys his drink or the glutton his meal?”
“I don’t think so. They give themselves over to those things not because they want to, but because they have to. It is like they have a negative notion of happiness. At best they have temporary relief from their desire when they have the opportunity to indulge it. But at worst they are miserable because they are kept from the things they are enslaved to. Contrast this with someone who enjoys positive happiness. This man is satisfied with nothing, so at the worst he is merely content. Anything he is given then he may rightly desire and enjoy, for he has no sinful need for it. This man can enjoy food and drink for he is not enslaved to them.”
“Brilliant conclusion, I am very proud of you for that insight. Men who break God’s rules to fulfill their desires not only lose their freedom in doing this, but lose their ability to enjoy the very things they seek. Christ said that our Father understands that we need things of this world, but we are to seek first his kingdom and then all these other things will be given to us. By seeking his kingdom first we not only live freely, but are able to enjoy things and have, as you call it, positive happiness.”
“Can I ask one more question?”
“Of course.”
“Why is it that we can’t find true satisfaction outside of God?”
“Do you think animals experience true satisfaction on this earth?”
“I do. I think of the morning songs of the birds, the roaming of a stag, the playfulness of dolphins, and the joy of puppy—all these animals (and all others for that matter) seem to live in simple contentment and joy. They do not have addictions and depression even though they live with disease, death, and pain. They fight amongst themselves and even kill and eat one another, yet there is a certain harmony and goodness that pervades the animal kingdom.”
“Why do you think that is?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, we want to know why animals live differently than man. To figure this out I think the best question would be to ask: what is the biggest difference between man and animals?”
“It would have to be man’s soul and immortality (for even if animals have some type of soul or immortality, it is certainly a different type than man has).”
“I agree that that is the crucial difference between man and animals and the reason why men cannot find satisfaction in the things of this world while animals can. Animals are finite and because of this they can find pleasure in the finite, temporal things of this world. Man is eternal. That is why man cannot find true pleasure or satisfaction in the temporal things of this world. When man gives himself to these things the eternal part of him nags at his flesh, reminding him ‘you are made for far greater things than this.’ The more man tries to find pleasure in the things of this world the more his soul aches in grief. Man is everlasting and so he can only find lasting pleasure and satisfaction in the everlasting. God of course is this everlasting. When man has the greater, he is finally free to enjoy the lesser. Only by having God and the eternal may we enjoy the temporal things of this world. The man who desires God has God and all the goodness that God has given him to enjoy in this world. While the man who seeks after pleasure only in this world not only loses God, but forfeits his ability to enjoy the things of this earth as well. It is like Christ said, he who has much even more will be given to him, while he that has little, even the little he has will be taken from him.”
Sunday, February 3, 2008
True Liberty
When Peter came home after school I could tell something was wrong. Peter was a complete open book. He was forced to be honest simply by the fact that he could not hide his thoughts and emotions. I asked him what was on his mind, but he just shrugged his shoulders and said “nothing.” I am not one to press the issue; I waited until he came to me. That evening after dinner Peter knocked on my office door. I told him to come in and as I turned to look at him I could tell that he was still in distress. He spoke first.
“In class today we were talking about ethics and I told everyone what you told me and everyone laughed at me! They called me closed minded, Puritanical, and said that my opinion was long outdated. Even my teacher said that whoever told me that was ‘misinformed.’” There was a short pause, after which Peter finished his thought in agitation. “I just want to have friends! I just want to fit in—there can’t be anything wrong with that!”
“Of course there is nothing wrong with having friends. Friendship is one of the greatest blessings of life. What makes you think there would be anything wrong with that?” I asked.
“I think I am right to honestly give my opinion when asked, but it was my opinion that caused everyone to laugh at me. I almost feel as if I have to choose between my belief and the acceptance of others.” Peter looked up at me in desperation, hoping that I would refute him on this point. To his dismay I most surely agreed.
“You often will lose friends if you stand for the truth while they follow a falsehood. . . . You do believe in what I have told you, right?”
“Absolutely. I don’t doubt that it is true. I guess the thing I most dislike is the consequences of the truth on my social life.”
“There is nothing wrong with wanting to be liked by others for this is a natural craving shared by all, but you must keep this desire in check. When you find the truth you must stand firmly upon it and not waiver in your belief of it. You cannot change your principles and actions based on what others think. To do this is to enslave yourself. Men were made to live freely and in order to do that you must give no heed to the words or thoughts or opinions of any man. You must instead live for God alone. Fear God alone (and be clear that when I speak of the fear of God, I mean a respect or recognition of God’s greatness). To live for the opinion of others is slavery; to live for God is freedom.”
“How is living in fear of the opinion of others enslaving? And if this is enslaving, how is living for God freeing?”
“Well think about your classmates at school. Do kids wear whatever they want, or do you think they have in mind the goal of fitting in when they buy their clothes?”
“I guess most people try to dress in a way that will let them fit in, though some dress alternative or goth or whatever it is called nowadays.”
“Yes there are non-conformists, but within these groups I suspect conformity is the strongest. Kids in these groups don’t dress in a way to fit in with the school at large, but rather only within their sub-group. They still live in fear of the opinion of men, just different men than the majority look to. What about music? Do you think most kids listen to what they think is best or listen to what is popular?”
“Most probably just listen to whatever everyone else is listening to.”
“And as your experience showed you today there is great conformity in beliefs. Everyone seemed to agree that your belief was wrong, but I doubt that any of them have ever before seriously considered their beliefs—they simply believe what those around them believe in order to fit in. Do you see how this is enslaving? Just looking at your school shows us that when kids worry about the opinion of others they are not free to dress as they wish, listen to what they most like, and most importantly, believe what is true if it conflicts with the current belief now in fashion.”
“But can’t popular opinion push you towards the truth at times?”
“Indeed it can, but if one does something good simply because of popular pressure that act loses its goodness.” At this statement Peter looked at me confused. “Here, let me backtrack for a moment. Think about the values of honor and virtue that were so important to the citizens of the Roman Republic. Because these were societal values men in Rome were pressured into these good ends: in order to be respected in their society they had to live virtuous and honorable lives. Similarly in the medieval period there was the code of chivalry that all the nobility lived by. This too pushed them towards true and just values, like mercy, generosity, courage, and respect for woman. However, just as often society pushes us to false and unjust ends. Think of how many people have sacrificed their children on behalf of the god of the harvest or the spring rain. We need to be on guard against our culture and be sure it not pushing us toward wrong ends. But even if our society has good values, we must still be sure we live independent of it and choose those good ends freely and not from societal pressure. For only in freely choosing those good ends do they retain their goodness.”
“How so? I’m sorry, I am really confused.”
“In order for an action to be good it needs two things. First it must be a good end. Second, that end must be freely chosen. Think of it like this. Say I tell you to go play nice with your sister. You have no choice but to play nice with her. The end, playing nice with you sister, is a good end. But I have told you to do this, you have not chosen it, so your action has lost its goodness. In the same way if society tells me to live virtuously and I only live virtuously so that I may fit in, this good end loses its goodness. I have not chosen this; I have lived in fear of the opinion of other men. The man who lives in fear of society does not consider what is right or wrong. He primarily considers: what will others think? Will this be accepted by them? This is a constant check on his actions. If society has bad values he will do bad things. If it has good values he will outwardly do good things, but these things will be devoid of their true goodness for they are done without choice. So you see it seems to you that the truth costs you, and it does cost you. You will miss out on the approval of others and you will lose friends, but what you will gain is liberty—something of far greater worth and importance.”
“Ok, I understand how living for the approval of others is enslaving, but how is living in fear of God or living with a view of pleasing God freeing?”
“To begin with, God values and promotes our freedom while society desires above all our conformity. Society seeks to limit our freedom so that we may fit in with it. For if we live righteously we condemn society. Society wants to live in wickedness free of our condemnation and so it seeks to silence our witness through conformity. You see this all the time with kids. One wants to cause some mischief, but is scared of the consequences of doing it alone so he enlists the help of other kids thinking that the more kids he has involved the less culpable he is. That is the childish thinking of our society. If everyone is doing something then it can’t be wrong so they seek to conform all to their ideals and behavior. Society rejects and mocks and often time even kills those who will not conform so as to negate or silence their testimony of the truth. That is what you experienced today. Your classmates and even your teachers mocked your opinion in an attempt to negate the truth of it. They did it because they hate being reminded that they are wrong, that their actions do have consequences and that they will be held accountable for the way they are now living. Your words were a rebuke to them and this reminder of the truth took away from their enjoyment of their sin. Be warned they will do all in their power to silence and marginalize you if you continue live and speak according to the truth.
“God on the other hand desires to transform us into his sons. In this transformation he seeks to free us from the bondage of sin and the opinion of others. God made us in his image and wants us to realize our potential and become His true sons. Society motivates us by fear. If you don’t act in such and such a way you will not be accepted. God motivates us by love.”
“Why is that distinction so important?”
“Think of the difference between a wife and a maid. The husband loves his wife and she loves him. He lavishes her with gifts and affection out of this love. When he asks her to do something, she does not do so out of fear, rather she does it willingly out of love. Contrast this with the maid. She is not asked to do something, she is told to do it. She does it not out of love, but out of fear for losing her job or for material gain. The maid is like the people of this world. They do what they do out of fear or greed, this is not living freely. The one who lives for God has been loved by God and out of this great love has loved God back. God asks us to do stuff. But He does not command us and force us to do them out of fear. On the contrary He says ‘if you love me you will obey me.’ God seeks to motivate our actions by love. He desires free responses to His love. Living out of love is freeing; living out of fear is enslaving. Only God desires that we live by love and only by living by love may we live freely. Only by living for God may we live freely, all other systems fall into fear and enslavement. And remember that God’s love produces absolute freedom for it is the greatest of all love. So great, in fact, was this love that it freed the whole world.”
“In class today we were talking about ethics and I told everyone what you told me and everyone laughed at me! They called me closed minded, Puritanical, and said that my opinion was long outdated. Even my teacher said that whoever told me that was ‘misinformed.’” There was a short pause, after which Peter finished his thought in agitation. “I just want to have friends! I just want to fit in—there can’t be anything wrong with that!”
“Of course there is nothing wrong with having friends. Friendship is one of the greatest blessings of life. What makes you think there would be anything wrong with that?” I asked.
“I think I am right to honestly give my opinion when asked, but it was my opinion that caused everyone to laugh at me. I almost feel as if I have to choose between my belief and the acceptance of others.” Peter looked up at me in desperation, hoping that I would refute him on this point. To his dismay I most surely agreed.
“You often will lose friends if you stand for the truth while they follow a falsehood. . . . You do believe in what I have told you, right?”
“Absolutely. I don’t doubt that it is true. I guess the thing I most dislike is the consequences of the truth on my social life.”
“There is nothing wrong with wanting to be liked by others for this is a natural craving shared by all, but you must keep this desire in check. When you find the truth you must stand firmly upon it and not waiver in your belief of it. You cannot change your principles and actions based on what others think. To do this is to enslave yourself. Men were made to live freely and in order to do that you must give no heed to the words or thoughts or opinions of any man. You must instead live for God alone. Fear God alone (and be clear that when I speak of the fear of God, I mean a respect or recognition of God’s greatness). To live for the opinion of others is slavery; to live for God is freedom.”
“How is living in fear of the opinion of others enslaving? And if this is enslaving, how is living for God freeing?”
“Well think about your classmates at school. Do kids wear whatever they want, or do you think they have in mind the goal of fitting in when they buy their clothes?”
“I guess most people try to dress in a way that will let them fit in, though some dress alternative or goth or whatever it is called nowadays.”
“Yes there are non-conformists, but within these groups I suspect conformity is the strongest. Kids in these groups don’t dress in a way to fit in with the school at large, but rather only within their sub-group. They still live in fear of the opinion of men, just different men than the majority look to. What about music? Do you think most kids listen to what they think is best or listen to what is popular?”
“Most probably just listen to whatever everyone else is listening to.”
“And as your experience showed you today there is great conformity in beliefs. Everyone seemed to agree that your belief was wrong, but I doubt that any of them have ever before seriously considered their beliefs—they simply believe what those around them believe in order to fit in. Do you see how this is enslaving? Just looking at your school shows us that when kids worry about the opinion of others they are not free to dress as they wish, listen to what they most like, and most importantly, believe what is true if it conflicts with the current belief now in fashion.”
“But can’t popular opinion push you towards the truth at times?”
“Indeed it can, but if one does something good simply because of popular pressure that act loses its goodness.” At this statement Peter looked at me confused. “Here, let me backtrack for a moment. Think about the values of honor and virtue that were so important to the citizens of the Roman Republic. Because these were societal values men in Rome were pressured into these good ends: in order to be respected in their society they had to live virtuous and honorable lives. Similarly in the medieval period there was the code of chivalry that all the nobility lived by. This too pushed them towards true and just values, like mercy, generosity, courage, and respect for woman. However, just as often society pushes us to false and unjust ends. Think of how many people have sacrificed their children on behalf of the god of the harvest or the spring rain. We need to be on guard against our culture and be sure it not pushing us toward wrong ends. But even if our society has good values, we must still be sure we live independent of it and choose those good ends freely and not from societal pressure. For only in freely choosing those good ends do they retain their goodness.”
“How so? I’m sorry, I am really confused.”
“In order for an action to be good it needs two things. First it must be a good end. Second, that end must be freely chosen. Think of it like this. Say I tell you to go play nice with your sister. You have no choice but to play nice with her. The end, playing nice with you sister, is a good end. But I have told you to do this, you have not chosen it, so your action has lost its goodness. In the same way if society tells me to live virtuously and I only live virtuously so that I may fit in, this good end loses its goodness. I have not chosen this; I have lived in fear of the opinion of other men. The man who lives in fear of society does not consider what is right or wrong. He primarily considers: what will others think? Will this be accepted by them? This is a constant check on his actions. If society has bad values he will do bad things. If it has good values he will outwardly do good things, but these things will be devoid of their true goodness for they are done without choice. So you see it seems to you that the truth costs you, and it does cost you. You will miss out on the approval of others and you will lose friends, but what you will gain is liberty—something of far greater worth and importance.”
“Ok, I understand how living for the approval of others is enslaving, but how is living in fear of God or living with a view of pleasing God freeing?”
“To begin with, God values and promotes our freedom while society desires above all our conformity. Society seeks to limit our freedom so that we may fit in with it. For if we live righteously we condemn society. Society wants to live in wickedness free of our condemnation and so it seeks to silence our witness through conformity. You see this all the time with kids. One wants to cause some mischief, but is scared of the consequences of doing it alone so he enlists the help of other kids thinking that the more kids he has involved the less culpable he is. That is the childish thinking of our society. If everyone is doing something then it can’t be wrong so they seek to conform all to their ideals and behavior. Society rejects and mocks and often time even kills those who will not conform so as to negate or silence their testimony of the truth. That is what you experienced today. Your classmates and even your teachers mocked your opinion in an attempt to negate the truth of it. They did it because they hate being reminded that they are wrong, that their actions do have consequences and that they will be held accountable for the way they are now living. Your words were a rebuke to them and this reminder of the truth took away from their enjoyment of their sin. Be warned they will do all in their power to silence and marginalize you if you continue live and speak according to the truth.
“God on the other hand desires to transform us into his sons. In this transformation he seeks to free us from the bondage of sin and the opinion of others. God made us in his image and wants us to realize our potential and become His true sons. Society motivates us by fear. If you don’t act in such and such a way you will not be accepted. God motivates us by love.”
“Why is that distinction so important?”
“Think of the difference between a wife and a maid. The husband loves his wife and she loves him. He lavishes her with gifts and affection out of this love. When he asks her to do something, she does not do so out of fear, rather she does it willingly out of love. Contrast this with the maid. She is not asked to do something, she is told to do it. She does it not out of love, but out of fear for losing her job or for material gain. The maid is like the people of this world. They do what they do out of fear or greed, this is not living freely. The one who lives for God has been loved by God and out of this great love has loved God back. God asks us to do stuff. But He does not command us and force us to do them out of fear. On the contrary He says ‘if you love me you will obey me.’ God seeks to motivate our actions by love. He desires free responses to His love. Living out of love is freeing; living out of fear is enslaving. Only God desires that we live by love and only by living by love may we live freely. Only by living for God may we live freely, all other systems fall into fear and enslavement. And remember that God’s love produces absolute freedom for it is the greatest of all love. So great, in fact, was this love that it freed the whole world.”
Friday, February 1, 2008
Plato's Cave
“Dad.”
“Yes Peter.”
“Have you heard about Victor Stenger?”
“Is he an author?”
“I think so, or maybe some type of professor.”
“What about him?”
“Carl at school said that he wrote a book that scientifically disproves God. He said that you’re an idiot for being a pastor when any thinking person knows there is no such thing as God.” Peter’s voice became louder and his words more rapid as he explained this, I could tell he was anxious.
“Now before you get too upset I want you to know that this is nothing new. I have not read this particular book, but I can guarantee there is nothing in there that hasn’t already been said a million times. From Epicurus to Voltaire to Christopher Hitchens there have been countless men who have mocked religion and claimed that there either is no God, or if God exists, he is bad or uninvolved. The fact is Peter no one can prove or disprove God, but if God exists and one does not believe in the possibility of His existence it would be impossible for this disbeliever to see God even if God plainly showed himself.”
“I don’t follow you.”
“Ok, what I am saying is this. Even if one could definitively prove the existence of God I doubt anyone would listen to them or believe them. Too often we are locked into a rigid world view and we interpret all we see, hear, and experience through our pre-suppositions (our unproved, dogmatic beliefs). These rigid presuppositions keep us from seeing the truth. Let me think of an analogy. . . . Have you read The Republic?”
“No, sorry.”
“Well in this dialogue Plato tells the story of prisoners chained down to a wall in a cave. These prisoners have been held captive in this cave their entire lives. In the cave there is a fire. The master of the cave makes shadows from the light of the fire and tells the prisoners that these shadows are certain objects. One shadow is dog, another is a rabbit, etc. The prisoners believe these shadow are real objects and in fact come to believe that reality is nothing else than the shadows of artificial objects. At some point a man, who Plato calls the philosopher, escapes the cave and enters the world above. He sees the sun and by it sees true objects and understands the truth of reality. He understands that the sun is the source of true light and only by the light of the sun are all things truly seen and understood. The man recognizes that in the cave without the light of the sun he lived only with the shadows of reality. . . . Are you with me so far?”
“Yes Dad.”
“It is like we are in Plato’s cave. Imagine the philosopher returning to the cave and explaining the truth of reality. One man hears this and believes. He believes there is a sun and are real objects and a reality beyond anything he has experienced. Because he believes in a world with a sun and real objects (as opposed to a fire and mere shadows) everything he experiences is related back to this belief. Any information he comes across in the future will be interpreted through this framework of belief. If someday he is taken above ground he will recognize true reality and be able to live within it. However, there is also the possibility that he could be taken into a bigger cave and deceived. He may see the sun in a place it does not exist, like a bigger fire or confuse reality with a bigger cave.
“Contrast this with his fellow cave dweller. Unlike the first man, this man disbelieves the philosopher who comes to them from above. He thinks that reality is found in his cave alone. Any future experience he has will be interpreted through this belief. If he is taken to another, bigger cave and told that it is reality, he will not be deceived. He will see it for what it is: another cave. He will recognize that it is no different than the last. He will know it is not some transcendent reality. But if he is taken out of the cave and into the real world he will not recognize reality for what it is. If he believes that the whole of reality is contained in his cave, he will think that the world above is a hallucination or a bad dream. He will interpret it in such a way so as to make it fit into his conception of reality. But because he has begun with a false conception of reality he will misinterpret the world above and be unable to grasp the truth of reality.
“Similar to the first man Christians believe in a reality beyond this world (the cave). It is true that this has lead them at certain times to mistake a bigger cave for reality and see the supernatural in something that is explained wholly in the natural order, but, more importantly because they believe in the Son they are able to understand the truth of reality, and after they die they will be able to enter and live within the fullness of reality. Conversely the second man, the materialist, has not been deceived by superstitions (larger caves). However, if a metaphysical reality does exist, if there is a God and a true reality that we were made to live in and this God sent someone from above to take us out of the cave and up to the world above, the materialist will miss his chance to leave the cave for he believes there is no reality beyond it and will interpret all (in fact misinterpret the truth) in accordance with this belief.
“No one can prove that any reality exists beyond the cave in which we are currently living. It is true that those who believe another reality exists often wrongly see this reality in places that it is not, but those who do not admit the existence of a true reality will not recognize it even if it was before them. One cannot prove that God does or does not exist, but the one who supposes he doesn’t would fail to recognize him or explain him away even if he was to appear before them. The presuppositions of materialists explain away all that does not fit within their conception of reality. Reality is more than this cave we live in, it is different from what they conceive it to be, but their rigid, dogmatic beliefs keep them from seeing this truth.
“While we are discussing this, there are a couple of other interesting things that Plato says in this analogy that we can learn from. Plato says that once men see the sun and experience true reality they ‘are not willing to occupy themselves with the affairs of men, but their souls ever feel the upward urge, and the yearning for that sojourn above.’ He explains that if the men in the cave gave awards for discerning shadows, the man who has been above would not envy those honored by the prisoners, but would consider their pursuits vain and foolish. It is similar to what the Apostle Paul said after he experienced true Reality. In a letter to the Church in Philippi he wrote that what he once held gain, he now counted as loss. After seeing the sun, the man in the cave would not invest himself in the things of the cave, but rather in the world above. In the same way, once we have seen the Son we recognize that the pursuits of this world are meaningless and we put our energy on the world above.
“The man who had been above would ‘greatly prefer while living on earth to be a serf of another, a landless man, and endure anything rather than opine with them and live that life.’ In the same David wrote in a Psalm that he would rather be gate keeper in the house of God than the greatest king on earth. This is true and yet we are not called to be servants of God, but rather invited to be His sons.
“Plato said that one with knowledge of reality, who had seen the sun, would pity those in the cave. He would desire to enter the depths of the cave and set them free. Yet on doing this the men in the cave would say that his eyes were ruined, that it was he who misunderstood reality. Plato then asked: ‘And if it were possible to lay hands on and to kill the man who tried to release them and lead them up, would they not kill him?’
“Indeed we are all born bound in a cave. We are deceived and kept from the truth. What we take for truth is just a shadow of reality. One came from above not only to testify about the light and truth, but the Son himself, the One who is the very essence of Light and Truth, came to give us sight and set us free. But we killed him. He rose again and now he asks us to leave this prison and enter into true reality with him.”
“But Dad, why don’t people listen to Jesus? Why don’t they want to get out of the cave?”
“As I explained before, a big part of it is that people are locked into false notions of reality that keep them from understanding the truth. John chapter one says that the Light (the Son) came into the world, but the people did not understand it. Yet, I do not think that is the end of the matter. I don’t think that anyone ultimately rejects God for intellectual reasons alone. Plato asked, if a man in the cave ‘were compelled to look at the light itself, would not that pain his eyes, and would he not turn away and flee from it?’ I think of a bug that lives under a rock. The second you flip the rock over and expose it to the light, it flees from the light. Ultimately there is only one reason that men reject the light. In John 3:19 Christ said ‘this is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.’ Men love darkness, they love their evil ways and do not want to give them up. They disbelieve God because if there is a God they would be accountable to him and would have to change their ways. They do not want to give up their evil ways, so they argue vehemently against God’s existence so that they may continue to live their lives as they please.”
“Yes Peter.”
“Have you heard about Victor Stenger?”
“Is he an author?”
“I think so, or maybe some type of professor.”
“What about him?”
“Carl at school said that he wrote a book that scientifically disproves God. He said that you’re an idiot for being a pastor when any thinking person knows there is no such thing as God.” Peter’s voice became louder and his words more rapid as he explained this, I could tell he was anxious.
“Now before you get too upset I want you to know that this is nothing new. I have not read this particular book, but I can guarantee there is nothing in there that hasn’t already been said a million times. From Epicurus to Voltaire to Christopher Hitchens there have been countless men who have mocked religion and claimed that there either is no God, or if God exists, he is bad or uninvolved. The fact is Peter no one can prove or disprove God, but if God exists and one does not believe in the possibility of His existence it would be impossible for this disbeliever to see God even if God plainly showed himself.”
“I don’t follow you.”
“Ok, what I am saying is this. Even if one could definitively prove the existence of God I doubt anyone would listen to them or believe them. Too often we are locked into a rigid world view and we interpret all we see, hear, and experience through our pre-suppositions (our unproved, dogmatic beliefs). These rigid presuppositions keep us from seeing the truth. Let me think of an analogy. . . . Have you read The Republic?”
“No, sorry.”
“Well in this dialogue Plato tells the story of prisoners chained down to a wall in a cave. These prisoners have been held captive in this cave their entire lives. In the cave there is a fire. The master of the cave makes shadows from the light of the fire and tells the prisoners that these shadows are certain objects. One shadow is dog, another is a rabbit, etc. The prisoners believe these shadow are real objects and in fact come to believe that reality is nothing else than the shadows of artificial objects. At some point a man, who Plato calls the philosopher, escapes the cave and enters the world above. He sees the sun and by it sees true objects and understands the truth of reality. He understands that the sun is the source of true light and only by the light of the sun are all things truly seen and understood. The man recognizes that in the cave without the light of the sun he lived only with the shadows of reality. . . . Are you with me so far?”
“Yes Dad.”
“It is like we are in Plato’s cave. Imagine the philosopher returning to the cave and explaining the truth of reality. One man hears this and believes. He believes there is a sun and are real objects and a reality beyond anything he has experienced. Because he believes in a world with a sun and real objects (as opposed to a fire and mere shadows) everything he experiences is related back to this belief. Any information he comes across in the future will be interpreted through this framework of belief. If someday he is taken above ground he will recognize true reality and be able to live within it. However, there is also the possibility that he could be taken into a bigger cave and deceived. He may see the sun in a place it does not exist, like a bigger fire or confuse reality with a bigger cave.
“Contrast this with his fellow cave dweller. Unlike the first man, this man disbelieves the philosopher who comes to them from above. He thinks that reality is found in his cave alone. Any future experience he has will be interpreted through this belief. If he is taken to another, bigger cave and told that it is reality, he will not be deceived. He will see it for what it is: another cave. He will recognize that it is no different than the last. He will know it is not some transcendent reality. But if he is taken out of the cave and into the real world he will not recognize reality for what it is. If he believes that the whole of reality is contained in his cave, he will think that the world above is a hallucination or a bad dream. He will interpret it in such a way so as to make it fit into his conception of reality. But because he has begun with a false conception of reality he will misinterpret the world above and be unable to grasp the truth of reality.
“Similar to the first man Christians believe in a reality beyond this world (the cave). It is true that this has lead them at certain times to mistake a bigger cave for reality and see the supernatural in something that is explained wholly in the natural order, but, more importantly because they believe in the Son they are able to understand the truth of reality, and after they die they will be able to enter and live within the fullness of reality. Conversely the second man, the materialist, has not been deceived by superstitions (larger caves). However, if a metaphysical reality does exist, if there is a God and a true reality that we were made to live in and this God sent someone from above to take us out of the cave and up to the world above, the materialist will miss his chance to leave the cave for he believes there is no reality beyond it and will interpret all (in fact misinterpret the truth) in accordance with this belief.
“No one can prove that any reality exists beyond the cave in which we are currently living. It is true that those who believe another reality exists often wrongly see this reality in places that it is not, but those who do not admit the existence of a true reality will not recognize it even if it was before them. One cannot prove that God does or does not exist, but the one who supposes he doesn’t would fail to recognize him or explain him away even if he was to appear before them. The presuppositions of materialists explain away all that does not fit within their conception of reality. Reality is more than this cave we live in, it is different from what they conceive it to be, but their rigid, dogmatic beliefs keep them from seeing this truth.
“While we are discussing this, there are a couple of other interesting things that Plato says in this analogy that we can learn from. Plato says that once men see the sun and experience true reality they ‘are not willing to occupy themselves with the affairs of men, but their souls ever feel the upward urge, and the yearning for that sojourn above.’ He explains that if the men in the cave gave awards for discerning shadows, the man who has been above would not envy those honored by the prisoners, but would consider their pursuits vain and foolish. It is similar to what the Apostle Paul said after he experienced true Reality. In a letter to the Church in Philippi he wrote that what he once held gain, he now counted as loss. After seeing the sun, the man in the cave would not invest himself in the things of the cave, but rather in the world above. In the same way, once we have seen the Son we recognize that the pursuits of this world are meaningless and we put our energy on the world above.
“The man who had been above would ‘greatly prefer while living on earth to be a serf of another, a landless man, and endure anything rather than opine with them and live that life.’ In the same David wrote in a Psalm that he would rather be gate keeper in the house of God than the greatest king on earth. This is true and yet we are not called to be servants of God, but rather invited to be His sons.
“Plato said that one with knowledge of reality, who had seen the sun, would pity those in the cave. He would desire to enter the depths of the cave and set them free. Yet on doing this the men in the cave would say that his eyes were ruined, that it was he who misunderstood reality. Plato then asked: ‘And if it were possible to lay hands on and to kill the man who tried to release them and lead them up, would they not kill him?’
“Indeed we are all born bound in a cave. We are deceived and kept from the truth. What we take for truth is just a shadow of reality. One came from above not only to testify about the light and truth, but the Son himself, the One who is the very essence of Light and Truth, came to give us sight and set us free. But we killed him. He rose again and now he asks us to leave this prison and enter into true reality with him.”
“But Dad, why don’t people listen to Jesus? Why don’t they want to get out of the cave?”
“As I explained before, a big part of it is that people are locked into false notions of reality that keep them from understanding the truth. John chapter one says that the Light (the Son) came into the world, but the people did not understand it. Yet, I do not think that is the end of the matter. I don’t think that anyone ultimately rejects God for intellectual reasons alone. Plato asked, if a man in the cave ‘were compelled to look at the light itself, would not that pain his eyes, and would he not turn away and flee from it?’ I think of a bug that lives under a rock. The second you flip the rock over and expose it to the light, it flees from the light. Ultimately there is only one reason that men reject the light. In John 3:19 Christ said ‘this is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.’ Men love darkness, they love their evil ways and do not want to give them up. They disbelieve God because if there is a God they would be accountable to him and would have to change their ways. They do not want to give up their evil ways, so they argue vehemently against God’s existence so that they may continue to live their lives as they please.”
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