Life is Fragile

Perhaps now is the time to remind ourselves that life is fragile. We have all experienced a greater measure of our own bodily fragility ever since our world declared a world-wide pandemic. We realized that there are viruses that not only make us sick but can even kill us. And the virus has killed young, old, and in between; healthy, sick, fit, and weak. We have all had to come to grips with mortality, sickness, and possible long-term health effects. We have also realized that civilization is fragile. This first showed up in the economy of the world but soon became obvious in our political systems, the way we interact with each other in our communities, and our divisions along many lines. 2 Corinthians 4:7 (New Living Translation, NLT) makes it clear that each of us has life within us and yet we carry this life around in a fragile vessel.

 

^“We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.”

 

The distinction between life and not-life is significant, and yet it is a fine line. At one level, we see life in humans, animals, and plants and debate whether or not a virus contains life. Is a coronavirus truly life or is it just a biological machine that can take over our human biochemistry? We search to see if life exists on any other planet or moon in the universe, while recognizing how fragile all life is on this blue-green fragile planet.

 

Second Corinthians 5:1-5 (NLT) has some helpful teaching on how to live with the fragility of life here on earth.

 

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.

 

The concepts this passage teaches are not readily brought to mind in our current predicament in the world and so we need to remind ourselves of them once again.

·       This fragile body in which we live is not our permanent residence; one day, our life essence will be housed in a new eternal body.

·       It is normal to grow weary of life on this earth and long for the eternal realms.

·       We are caught in the mystery of wanting to stay here in this body and this world, while also longing to put on our new eternal bodies.

·       God has prepared us for this longing and wants us to be ready to transition to a new realm.

·       To some, he has already given the guarantee of his Holy Spirit.

 

As we look at this fragile planet, these fragile systems, and our bodies as fragile entities like clay pots, we are reminded that God has a plan that begins now and continues into eternity. The purpose of this article is to remind us of the life we have beyond these fragile bodies, and yet it also reminds us that as we thirst for righteousness in this world, we need not fear what might happen to our earthly bodies. For Jesus said,

“If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”

 (Matthew 16:25 NLT). 

As we remind one another of a better life beyond this world, and as we prepare ourselves to breathe - with fresh lungs - the air of heaven, we will simultaneously seek to make this world a better place. May God show us his hope for the future and may it begin now on this fragile earth.

2017 in Review Part 4

I have spent a good deal of time and ink in a review of 2017 and perhaps it is nearly time to turn our gaze toward 2018. Part 4 of this review will hit a few more of the biggest highlights of the latter half of 2017.

In July of 2017 I managed to publish a book. I found it to be a significant development in my life as a writer. I may have written nine years of blog posts but writing a novel was a new undertaking that took a whole other level of discipline. I hope to publish another book in 2018.

On August 21 of 2017, the world was mesmerized by “The Great American Eclipse.” Solar eclipses are rare enough and total eclipses visible in North America stir the hearts and minds of people. I was intrigued by Annie Dillard’s 1979 article “Total Eclipse,” which she used as a metaphor for the mysteries and splendours of our universe and our propensity to live in the mundane events of the world. Much of our lives are spent in the pursuit of three square meals a day and a roof over our head. We spend very little time thinking about the bigger questions of life, eternity, and God. Dillard says, “From the depths of mystery, and even from the heights of splendor, we bounce back and hurry for the latitudes of home.”

In September, I learned about the quirky letter Rich Mullins had sent to Steve Taylor in 1986. I saw it as one of those great moments in music history where two great artists connected. Steve Taylor still has the original letter.

In November, I was struck by the fact that we live in an unprecedented time in which our scientific advancements proceed at an incredible speed. Advances in genetics, autonomous cars, and Artificial Intelligence are proceeding faster than regulations, laws, and moral boundaries can be set in place. There is plenty of food for thought in each of these advancements and readers can expect further contemplation on these developments in 2018 posts. But it also reminds me that we live in a time when it is important to continue to remain humble in what we know to be certain. As Rex Murphy reminded us, “… our finest sages, present and past, have always counselled against certitude, and cautioned that when we are most certain of something is precisely the time we should go over our sums.”[1] 

One of the reasons I started this blog nine years ago was to give myself some space to ask important questions, to challenge myself to think logically, and to perhaps encourage others to consider other points of view. Thank you for reading along with me. I hope we can continue to explore this world in which we live in the years to come.

---

[1] National Post, 2017-11-02, “Governor General places herself as umpire of questions of faith and science, http://nationalpost.com/opinion/rex-murphy-governor-general-places-herself-as-umpire-of-questions-of-faith-science

2017 in Review Part 3

Not everyone enjoys year-end reviews but there is certainly some value in looking back on our own year. I am hopeful that this guide through a year of blogs may remind you of the significant events in your year.

It took watching the movie twice, but Arrival eventually became one of my favourite movies of 2017. The movie is much ado about the idea of rewiring our brains by learning the language of an alien culture. It clearly overstates its case but is brilliantly scripted and leaves one with a sense of hope regarding science, linguistics, and human understanding, even as it offers a sharp warning of how we use our own words and the militarization of culture. 

My April 17 blog-post was an ode to every band in which I have ever participated and particularly a tribute to the songs I have written or co-written over the years. The song, “No Hit Wonder,” is an exaggerated (I don't really have quite such lofty goals) autobiographical sketch of one man’s desire for fame. At some level, you may be able to relate as well. 

I paid closer attention to what my friends were writing in 2017. Several of my friends published books in this year. I read their works, blogged about them, and enjoyed learning how the books had come to be. The publishing industry has changed significantly in the last few years but what stays the same is the significant amount of effort one must put in if one wishes to write a readable book. My friend, Cam Taylor, published his book, Detour, in 2017. Two of my posts were dedicated to quoting and understanding this book. 

The “problem of pain,” is a perennial problem in Christian theology and a perennial topic in my blog posts. In the month of May, I tackled it again. This time, I added in concepts I had been learning from an evolutionary creation perspective. I am now thoroughly convinced that this is a fruitful way to analyse the problem and all of my future thoughts on the subject will be seen through the lens of how the “pain” and suffering of the evolutionary process leads to beings who will one day be more fit for relationship with God.

That’s a lot of thinking, dreaming, writing, and creating in just five months of the year. The next review blog will likely take me through the month of July in which I published my first novel. I pray that you too might be analysing your own life as we move forward.