The strange distortions of secular ideology: My best possible life!
Part 4: We already have what we long for
My answer to this, is (even if my hope of heaven is false) that the purpose of being a Christian is to enter into fullness of life now, in our current mortal life. The gifts received now make it all worthwhile – and, who knows, the reward of heaven might be real too. This is made so much easier once we acquire a little bit of wise awareness and realise that God does not ask us to give up good things – as some sort of test: “Let’s see if you’re willing to do this for me!”. Instead, he asks us to give up things that – though they may seem superficially attractive – are not really good for us, in order to embrace a way of life that is truly fulfilling. So, God has not set arbitrary rules to deny us truly good things in order to test our self-discipline, as though God is in need: “You must show me that you love me more than these other things”, and then that he will bribe us, “And if you do this, then I will reward you 100 times over for what you gave up for me”. Instead, God is our guide into the life of perfect fulfilment. His love for us is complete and he needs nothing in return – though he takes delight when we do love him back. God simply wants the best for us – and, interestingly, this takes us back to our original point when I noted the modern tendency to be terrified of not living our best possible life. It is in responding to God’s love that we find fulfilment, but this is not grasped at, not clung onto fearfully, not snatched at in a competitive race against others, not demanded as our right, not created by our own powers. It is received as a gift of love, from the God of love, who knows us better than we know ourselves, and who, in his constant self-giving, strives to bring us to completion. Our response is of vital importance; we are called to try with all our heart and mind and soul and strength to live in communion with God. However, we do not have to fear failure, we do not have to deny our flaws and our weaknesses, and the challenges we face, for we know, and admitted to ourselves and to the Lord, that we accept the truth about ourselves and about the world in which we live. Yet we do not have to wait for some future consummation. We do not live in anxiety: “What if heaven is not real? What if I should prove unworthy? What if I should fail and never reach the finish line?”. All these fears are calmed by the presence of God and dealt with in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and gently blown away by the Holy Spirit’s breath. We are not waiting for fulfilment, even as a gift, in the distant future. We receive it as a gift now. This is the full measure of the grace of God. He does not leave us on tenterhooks, hoping for the best. Once we know him, and receive his love, we have the assurance of his love. It is this assurance that is the perfect fulfilment that we desire and need, and in the grace of God, all our needs are met.
Spiritual Devotion 