Day 4

"This life is not all there is."

I recently had a conversation with my nephew, Alex (the 22 year old genius), about God. He said that he finds the most people struggle with the hell part of the Christian faith, but for him the most fearful part of the Christian belief system is the eternity of it all. He said that at 8 or 9 he just couldn't tolerate the idea of it "never ending."

What struck me is that 8 or 9 year-old Alex understood, in a profound way, the gravity of a belief in an eternal afterlife. That humans last forever. He understood this as only a budding mathematician (what does the numerical value of infinity really mean), scientist (how big is the universe) and genius (my brain hurts trying to think this big) could. He understood it then and understands it now in real terms (or realer terms at least) than I can. Likely than you can.

He understands that the magnitude of infinity should crush us, overwhelm us.

CS Lewis got it too. He wrote a whole essay on it entitled The Weight of Glory. I want to quote the whole thing here, but instead I'll give you my favorite part:

“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree helping each other to one or the other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all of our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - These are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.” [emphasis mine]

If the Christian belief system is the ultimate Truth, if we are destined for an eternal afterlife shaped by our choices in this finite-life - it is a very, very serious responsibility indeed.

"Every act of our lives strikes some chord that will vibrate for eternity."

Question to Ponder: Since I was made to last forever, what is the one thing I should stop doing and the one thing I should start doing today?

The first one is easy... I should stop worrying. Despite my direct knowledge of this fact, I still worry with more intensity, frequency and duration than I think is healthy. I still must buy into the lie that my worry is somehow beneficial. Or maybe it's just habit? Or old unhealed pain? I don't know. But I absolutely know that it needs to go. It eats up resources I could be using elsewhere.

The second one is harder... what should I be doing more of. I mean I could say loving more. I think that's the Christian thing to say. But I think I love pretty all in, I think I love big. Maybe forgive more? Again, I think I forgive pretty well. I don't know family... what do you think I should do more of? Sleep. Tee hee. Rest. Maybe rest. Thoughts?

Dearest Father God, May the gravity of eternal life awaken me.May I have eyes to see, ears to hear. This is serious business, this life, may I walk as if I know it. May I love, as if I get it. Amen.