| | We have the obligation to use life wisely because we have the obligation to live. ~ A. G. Sertillanges
L-I-F-E.
I
have a precious little nephew who suddenly fleshes out everything I
believe about life. Now when I say that man bears the image of God, I
think of this tiny boy, so perfectly shaped like a little man. When I
say that life is fragile, I think of those little eyes and the complete
trust I see in them. He trusts me to protect and nurture him. Those
little breaths when he's asleep remind me not to take my own for
granted, because I can't cause them to continue.
What Good Is Life?
Over
the past year I have known two people who committed suicide because
they just couldn't handle the difficulties facing them. I admit that I
have cried out to God many times the same questions others plead when
they hurt, "Why?" and "How could they?" Indeed, how could one look at
the tiny hands and little bitty fingernails of a baby and imagine that
he might grow up to use those hands to take his life or that of another?
Why
would someone want to end their life? Perhaps they weren't convinced of
the answer to a question they didn't even realize they were asking:
"What good is life?" This query sometimes produces such extreme
hopelessness that one cannot live with the conclusion they reach. Some
never reach the conclusion.
Think about it, what good is life?
We live, we work, we eat, we sleep, we may gain knowledge in abundance,
we may teach others, but eventually we die. Those we teach die. Those
they influence die.
What Is A Good Life?
But,
we weren't made to die. Read that again slowly: We. Weren't. Made. To.
Die. We are created in the image of the eternal God. He has no
beginning or end. We have a beginning and no end. Do you realize that
humans have several unique privileges? One is that we were created in
the image of GOD. We were created to live without end.
Considered
this astounding honor: we have been given the power to create new
souls. If human souls are everlasting (have a beginning and no end) and
we are given the ability to procreate, then we are able to produce a
soul that will live on forever. Do you know how scary and awesome that
is?! The God of the universe created us as the instruments to bring
souls into being!
So we work, we eat, we sleep, we learn, we
teach, but "we" (our souls) do not die. We pass from this life into
everlasting life. Here we find that something important takes place:
the way we live on earth, the things we believe, affect our final
destination. Either we allow Jesus to be our Saviour and our Lord, or
we do not. Either we will live forever with Christ, or we will dwell
forever in the lake of fire.
We find that this life matters
after all. We can't save others spiritually, but we can share the Truth
with them and pray for the Holy Spirit to move their hearts to
salvation. Dare I say that a good life shows a harvest, produces
spiritual children and spiritual fruit? Indeed, I will say it!
The Not-So-Happy-Ending…
I
could walk away and end there. Yet it still remains that two of my
friends have passed from this life into the next at their own hand.
They both claimed some form of Christianity. I don't know their hearts,
but from my own conversations and things others told me, I believe at
least one of them was truly a born-again Christian. How do I reconcile
this? He knew the Way, the Truth, the Life, why would he commit
suicide? He had hope – yet I believe he was blinded by satan and saw
only hopelessness. We all get blindsided by satan at one time or
another (I Cor. 10:12), when we give in it's called sin. It is what
Christ Jesus shed His blood to cover and remove.
Most everyone
likes a happy ending with all the loose ends of the story tied up. I
can't quite do that here – there isis a good life, but there is pain,
we do hurt, and we are left with our questions of "why?" and "How could
they?" When we pass from this life into the next maybe we will receive
those answers. Until then, let us ponder, "what good is life?" and
"what is a good life?"
><> Jody |
| | Posted 4/23/2007 11:05 PM - 46 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
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