Longing
“Can something be both as solid as stone and as hollow as an echo? Only one thing.
What’s that? A human heart.”
That hit me immediately as I read this chapter the first time. As simplistic as it all seemed initially, I thought about the anatomy of the heart both literally and figuratively. Many hearts are hard as stone (Lord knows mine was) and yet it’s a hollow with chambers for entry and exit and to serve a purpose. It’s a vital organ. That means without a heart we would perish…literally and figuratively.
The story shared on page 63 rang true for me as well…in my own personal quest.
“… ‘So you live an illusion?’
I paused. ‘I guess so, although I’ve never really thought of it like that.’
‘Has it worked?’
I shook my head. ‘No. But we don’t dare admit it. Instead, we tell ourselves that it’ll most certainly work next time…if only we try harder.’”
The thing that troubles me most about this story is I actually visited churches that live this deceitful truth. What James says is also true…it’s the fastest way to the morgue at our own hand…just try to live up to the quest of perfection (without Christ) and it always comes up short, ALWAYS!
“If we knew that ‘happily ever after’ were only true in fairy tales, we’d give up hope. But instead we tell ourselves there must be more to life.”
How sad for those who think this…but never see the truth of this statement. I’ve said before and I’ll say again…to those who don’t believe in God or eternity or any ‘life’ after death, it must seem so futile. The whole sum of their being is just to succeed on earth (by human standards of success) and then die and end up worm food. That is simply not enough for me. If I truly believed God did not exist…I could never face another morning. There would be no point at all.
I like that this book is simple enough to share a story and still be poetic enough to stretch my mind.
What’s that? A human heart.”
That hit me immediately as I read this chapter the first time. As simplistic as it all seemed initially, I thought about the anatomy of the heart both literally and figuratively. Many hearts are hard as stone (Lord knows mine was) and yet it’s a hollow with chambers for entry and exit and to serve a purpose. It’s a vital organ. That means without a heart we would perish…literally and figuratively.
The story shared on page 63 rang true for me as well…in my own personal quest.
“… ‘So you live an illusion?’
I paused. ‘I guess so, although I’ve never really thought of it like that.’
‘Has it worked?’
I shook my head. ‘No. But we don’t dare admit it. Instead, we tell ourselves that it’ll most certainly work next time…if only we try harder.’”
The thing that troubles me most about this story is I actually visited churches that live this deceitful truth. What James says is also true…it’s the fastest way to the morgue at our own hand…just try to live up to the quest of perfection (without Christ) and it always comes up short, ALWAYS!
“If we knew that ‘happily ever after’ were only true in fairy tales, we’d give up hope. But instead we tell ourselves there must be more to life.”
How sad for those who think this…but never see the truth of this statement. I’ve said before and I’ll say again…to those who don’t believe in God or eternity or any ‘life’ after death, it must seem so futile. The whole sum of their being is just to succeed on earth (by human standards of success) and then die and end up worm food. That is simply not enough for me. If I truly believed God did not exist…I could never face another morning. There would be no point at all.
I pray that I would always having LONGING both for myself and for those who have never seen truth.
I like that this book is simple enough to share a story and still be poetic enough to stretch my mind.
1 Comments:
Kim, my oldest brother fits into this catagory. He decided many years ago that God is all a make believe experience so that some of us have a crutch to get us through the horrors of life.
I simply cannot imagine how he came to this conclusion!
What could possibly have happened to him that he cannot see the truth of life? What really gets me though is that he thinks he will just become worm food. He's totally discounted the fact that if God exists, so does hell.
I got grabbed by that opening poem, too. So simple and yet...
By HeyJules, at 7:54 AM
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