“Increasingly, Americans are people who believe in nothing, and care for nothing, and seek to know nothing, and interfere with nothing, and enjoy nothing, and hate nothing, and find purpose in nothing, and they live for nothing, and they only stay alive because
there’s nothing worth dying for.”
― Gary Brandenburg, A Crash Course on Happiness
“What’s your five-year plan?” I remember being a young twenty-something, and that was a common question when contemplating the future. If the thread came up in an interview, I would conjure up my best blather, “I want to continue growing as a person, be in a career where I help the team, build value for the company, and rise to a position where I can help others achieve their goals… Oh, and save all the children in the world… And build snowmen for those in need… And, uh, provide puppies for the children I don’t save.”
I have to relinquish the sarcasm and admit that some folks do live out the hockey stick uptick, or at least a general 10-20% ROI on “life wins.” Life simply works. However, I know far too many others whose five-year plans went up in flames, and the various subsidiary pivots resulted in loss of more teeth and blood. Often as life kicks over and again, the plans and dreams are shortened into questions of how not to drown in despair, each day one of survival. I remember going to my 10-year high school reunion, and already seeing cracks in the armor. Yes, there were plenty of folks “peacocking” about their perfect spouse, career and Mensa-scoring three-year olds. But there were others where I could see the spark fading already. Five years later at a spur-of-the-moment 15-yr reunion, I started to hear about the divorces, and the tragic deaths of lives cut short. The challenge of nothingness was beginning to blossom.
Brandenburg’s conclusion may be accurate, or at best we misplace our desires in a hard-charging career, binging on Netflix (guilty), molding perfect children, or scrolling away two to three hours of social media each day. Maybe it’s living for the weekends, checking off the bucket list, or pulling for your favorite pro team to win a title. Please hear me, none of these things are inherently bad. The question is whether they are THE dominant things that rule your thoughts. Personally, I fight regular battles of wanting work and achievement to be my measure of value. Plus the nuanced emotion of affirmation, people-pleasing, or apathy towards hard truth. I have to evaluate my dominant thoughts throughout the day. We all have them, it’s a question of what occupies our minds. As a Christ follower, the easy answer is “I think of Jesus 24/7…” And swoon. Nope, that would be a bullshit answer. Yes, I do contemplate and wrestle with Christ throughout my day. But it’s a messy gumbo for sure, those righteous thoughts are intermittent. As a single, heterosexual dude, there are numerous tangents of sexual desire, of misplaced ambition, of passive-aggressive score-keeping, then a smidgen of prayer followed by more sexual desire.
And that’s before breakfast.
At this stage of life, I do my best to run the big thoughts, debates and decisions through a Biblical worldview. Meaning, I take the temperature of all things whether relevant to me or others, and ask “What does scripture have to say?” Which segues back to Pastor Gary Brandenburg’s incisive statement above. For damn sure there are plenty of folks waking, working and striving for the good life, where at some stage they retire, travel, golf and frolic and fritter about. As I heard at a men’s luncheon two weeks ago, “Good luck finding verses in the Bible about retirement.”
The sledgehammer question for all of us is are we going to pursue purpose to the point of dying for a cause? I can’t say I know for certain that every person must stand for something to the point of death. Maybe? If I were a teacher, could I, should I, would I die for the cause of education? No, I think my example is misdirected. The question seems to be what is THE most important thing in this brief snap of a life? That’s where I find clarity in the Biblical worldview. Maybe a teacher educates his or her students, and the underlying foundation is peppered with a Christian ethos. No, not forcing scripture on the students, but endearing an attitude that plants curiosity in faith for the students. The same for a banker, chef and postal worker. In Philippians 2:3-4 the apostle Paul says,
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
I’d prefer to dismiss those verses and say “Naw, I’m not interested. That Paul guy sounds like some manner of super religious guy. Me, I got real-world responsibilities, I’m no professional Christian.” Then I have to wrestle with this teeny little verse in 1 Corinthians 11:1, causing me to grit my teeth.
“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”
I have to make a decision of how much of that there Bible I believe. I have to evaluate whether the content is for a select few ― like that Paul guy ― but not including me in 2019. Can I dismiss the content as not relevant to contemporary life? Are there verses that give me an out, that give root to the idea of not spending my days pointing people towards Christ? Dammit, I wish I could tell you there’s an entire book in the OT or NT that encourages a life filled with Vegas, sushi and cigars. Actually there is one. Check out the book of Ecclesiastes, and chapter 12:13 for his conclusion after a life of indulgence,
“Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.”
More gritting of teeth. In my book, I have a chapter titled “Who’s the REAL Boss?” In other words, do I have the authority to dismiss the contents of scripture as irrelevant to me? It’s the same question Brandenburg asked in his sermon, and it’s 45 minutes of worthy listening. Any time we choose to disagree with Christ, we have to weigh our authority in the equation. In other words, will people dismiss the teachings of Christ in favor of your contradictory position? Maybe for a moment, but a century from now, your authority won’t hold salt. Bank on it. Fast forward 2,000 years to the year 4,019, and Christ’s authority will still usurp all others, He won’t be forgotten.
If you make the decision to make Christ your dominant thought, there’s a 100% money-back guarantee you won’t have to worry about nothing creeping into your life.
See ya next time. ML