Yet I consider life of no importance to me,
if only I may finish my course
and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus,
to bear witness to the Gospel of God's grace.
We look to the Scriptures for models of how to live and how to die. Because we know so much of his story and have so much of his writing, and because he is such an affable, transparent fellow, Saint Paul gives us an extraordinary model of Christian discipleship. Even a cursory reading of today's reading from the Acts of the Apostles reminds us of his marvelous insight.
Human life, the life of the individual person, might be an end in itself. I need no further explanation or excuse for being than the fact that I am here. "I exist, I matter, I make sense!" as a counselor once explained to me.
But I soon find that I am not sufficient unto myself, that living to satisfy myself fails to satisfy.
That discomfort can be relieved by continuous distraction, and modern life provides an endless supply of that. First there are the demands of work, family and society; followed by entertainment, transportation (to exotic places), and medication. The last alters the brain so that users don't even feel the vacuity of their lives. Why? and Wherefore? are satisfied with drugs.
As a hospital chaplain, however, I see a lot of people whose bodies -- not their minds -- say, "Enough! I will not live without meaning, without a purpose!"
They come to the VA wanting a fix, often another medical fix, to force their bodies to accept the same, endless suppression of thought, feeling and sensibility. Offered "spiritual" help they politely decline.
Many, I fear, have never known life without mind-altering substances. Many children diagnosed with ADHD are forced to conform to the group standards early in life. Arriving in middle school they swap pills with one another. Experimenting, as it's called. It's but a half-step into tobacco, alcohol, cocaine and methamphetamine. (Older alcoholics can't understand why doctors use drugs to treat drug addiction. But these young people have never known their own natural brains without the stuff. That natural condition might never be reclaimed, it might not exist anymore.)
I often recommend anxiety and anguish to the Veterans in substance abuse treatment. Freedom comes with anxiety, of course! There is no other kind. Anguish is as natural as the rain. We live with regrets about the past and uncertainty about the future.
Grace enables us to go on as we surrender to the merciful judgement of God. We realize with Saint Paul that my particular life is of no importance to me, if only I may finish the course, and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus Christ.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.