Life {re}Defined

In his novel The First Circle, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn quotes a Russian proverb: "It’s not the sea that will drown you, it’s the puddle". Most of us will not be martyrs. Instead, we will be caught up in a war of attrition: the war of everydayness. That everydayness will often defeat us from seeing the superabundance of Love, of spirit, and yes, goods, that God makes available to the children of God. That everydayedness makes us cling to the earthly familiar. That everydayedness makes us cling to the opinions and admiration of the others who are also caught up in their everydayedness. We are only too happy to love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us, and turn the other cheek if anyone should strike us, but yet we are too fear-full to risk the disapproval of or be disowned by the people to whom we have given away our Power.

On the island of Crete they remember the old man who loved his land with a deep and beautiful intensity, so much so that when he perceived he was about to die he ordered his sons to bring him outside and lay him on his beloved earth. As he was about to breath his last, he reached down by his side and clutched some earth into his hands. He died happy.

Later, when he arrived at heaven’s gates, God answered as an old white-bearded man.

"Welcome," God said. "You’ve been good; come into the joys of heaven." But as the old man started through the gate, God said, "Please. You must let the soil go." "Never!" said the old man stepping back. "Never!"

God departed sadly, leaving the man at the gate. A few eons went by, and God came out again, this time as an old friend. They had a few drinks, told some stories, and God said, "All right, now it’s time to enter, friend. Let’s go." As they started for the gate, God once more requested the old man let go of his soil, and once more he refused.

More eons rolled by. God emerged again, this time as a delightful and playful granddaughter. "Oh granddaddy," God said, "you’re so wonderful, and we all miss you. Please come inside with me."

The old man nodded, and she helped him up for by this time he had grown old and arthritic. In fact, so arthritic was he that he had to prop up the right hand holding Crete’s soil with his left. As they moved toward the gate, his strength gave out. His gnarled fingers could no longer stay clenched, and the soil sifted out until his hand was empty.

He then entered heaven, and the first thing he saw was his beloved island.

We clutch at what we have, and miss what we really have waiting for us in this Life. It’s been said that true Christian living is experimental. There is no code of laws or detailed plan, no do-this-and-get-your-reward standard, for as Paul wrote to the Ephesians, "by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God —not the result of works".

Experiment with letting go. Start operating out of abundance instead of scarcity.

Release your grip on people and stuff. Watch and see if you don’t find what you want. See if you don’t already have so much that there is something left over, something to give, the cup of your Life full and running over. Just see.