18th of December, 2015

Psalm 15 and John 15

H,

It is almost too difficult to talk about the things we face because we seek to live in the light. There is a real sense that the obstacles in our way may just be paranoia. We could elevate every human criticism to a personal attack and make it all about the world’s slimy assault on our good nature and virtue. This is wrong because we have no good nature or virtue. Of course we have good intentions. Sometimes this means we will act in better ways than others seem to. Yet we should never forget that holiness is wholeness and we are not whole enough. “The worst of us are a long drawn out confession, the best of us are geniuses of compression.” We are never as good as we think we are. We all require to spend time in the light to see this and more time in the light to be someone else. Like Christ.

Still, while all this is going on, the more we let it shine, the more the dark seems to encroach. There is a real spirit of hate in this world for anything that approaches the truth. We are told it is a dividing sword and not a reuniting fervour. It seeks to connect man back to God and thus back to himself and his fellow man but it is not always received that way. It is possible that you will be hated for it. Well, scratch that, it is certain that you will be hated for it. I do not mean people because they will more or less just express the zeitgeist. You will be shocked by the impersonal nature of how they hurt you. It is not a personal thing. They are following a tide they do not believe in. They are in the thrall of something metaphysical and they do not know how to be free. Part of your assignment may be to tell them how. Most likely it would be the system that is tooled against you. There will be a conspiracy of falsehood that will aim to make you act in ways that are outside the character you are being built into. It will mean you will lie, you may steal and you may seek other comforts. These things that are propelled by fear, by the real impute of the three temptations of Christ (physical well-being, struggles with identity and thirst for power, even to do ‘good’), are designed to take you away from the fullness of joy inherent in the road you are travelling. They are subtle and they are dangerous and they will get you more times than you think.

There is hope in this. First, we are told not to take this personally. It is fine. Do not be offended by people or what they do. They are fallen creatures like you and love is the answer to hate. This will take a lifetime to sink in but it will. Second, we are told the end of the story. We are not fighting on the losing side. We are soldiers in a celestial war over the souls and hearts of men but we fight in reverse because the battle is already won. The human heart and soul will live forever. Christ saw to that at Golgotha and beyond. We are here to learn and speak of that great victory.

We will get afraid. We will be beaten into corners. We will fall down. We will dance with the dark. It is all fine now. We are to be of good cheer. We are the heirs of many troubles. We will carry on our bodies the mark of our Christ.

But be joyful. Be of good cheer. He has already overcome the world.

Love.