I’ve noticed that my friends from outside the church usually only bring up God with me in times of crisis. They look at me oddly when I talk about death as a positive thing, and about actually yearning for heaven.
From their curious stares, you’d think I’d just said I believed in Middle Earth and would soon be visiting the Shire.
However, their words do occasionally betray a hidden hope for a heaven and a loving Father. Last night, a friend veered into “God territory” with me for just a few minutes. That’s rare for me, because lots of folks I know socially treat “God talk” as something to be avoided at all costs.
My friend mentioned he’d thought of me last Sunday when he attended a friend’s funeral. She’d been in continual pain and sadly had finally committed suicide. I could tell the idea of his friend committing suicide devastated him. But he sounded like it was also a cause for some introspective on his part. He was actually pondering faith, and God, and how short life is.
As he talked more, I could tell he was struggling for the right words. He kept repeating “Carpe Diem” – “seize the day” – as if to “live for today” was the only sense he could make of it all. But he also seemed worried about bringing up these things with a pastor. Kind of like asking a car salesman if you should trade in your vehicle for a new one. He was probably afraid I’d try to shove my own beliefs down his throat.
It seemed he was half-wishing I could speak some simple sentiment into his experience that would help it all make sense. His coworker was gone, and soon he will be too. Those facts should make anyone start looking for answers.
I knew this was an open door for me to share my faith, yet I knew my answer might be much more than he wanted to hear. The answers to God and life and death aren’t always simple answers – they don’t usually fit nicely on your refrigerator door.
So what did I say to him? Honestly, I’m not sure what I said did him any good. That’s because people want easy answers. But what Jesus offers is something demanding much more time and sacrifice than most people are willing to commit. People want a religious hobby – God wants your heart and soul.
To find true meaning, eternal meaning, you must be willing to lose yourself and your dreams in the process. And few, very few, are willing to do that…
“…narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” – Matthew 7:14
My friend listened to me talk about the Gospel and salvation for a few minutes before I could tell he mentally checked out. From my love affair with a 2000-year-old book and its author, I must look like a freak to him.
People like my friend think I’m wasting my time sacrificing my hopes and dreams for a God they can’t even see. “Look at all the fun you’re missing out on, Dave” they think.
Funny, that’s exactly what I think about them.
But my hope is found in a dusty old book, and in its Author. Understanding that book and knowing its Author is a lifetime commitment. That commitment often doesn’t make life any easier, but it does make it more meaningful, passionate and hopeful in the long term.
But for those looking for the short term, a quick fix, an easy answer…sorry. I’ve got none of those.
My attention is focused on a Kingdom outside of this world everyone else sees so clearly. I love this world’s movers and shakers to far-away King for my daily marching orders. I accept trials and hardships, trusting in His hidden purpose. I listen as He roots out each wrong motivation in my heart. Then I look on as each crucible melts away the imperfections His finger pointed to. I am reborn, remade into the image of the One I love.
I understand why this doesn’t make sense to those who’ve never met Jesus. To a world that continually exalts self and desire, I must look odd as I strive to become smaller in my own eyes. The less of me I see, the more His image comes into focus. I celebrate this world slipping away that they cling to so desperately.
I’ll be cheering as it dissolves into a new and glorious one. For them, heaven’s just a word – a hoped-for myth. For me, it’s more real than this world with each passing day.
There is no other answer, though folks like my friend continue to search out an easier one. Despite their efforts, life and truth are still found in a dusty old book that asks you to give up everything to follow an Author you have yet to meet.
This is the one path to life everlasting. And it is the one few will ever find though it sits right in front of their eyes. It’s a road map to heaven and happiness, bound in leather and written with red letters.
