In a sense, our life's journey is the same; it is a "class," an experiment, where we learn who we are with God and who we are without God. Those who discover their need for God are the "little ones," the "poor" of Mary's song, the anawim who are longing for deliverance and who are looking to God for their hope, the ones downtrodden and rejected by the world more rich and powerful than they are.
My heart bleeds for those who are without God because they have never experienced the Gift of God, the water springing up to eternal life, the peace that passes all understanding that Jesus came to give us. They are waiting for heaven to experience what they are longing for on earth. Or they are not waiting for heaven, but only for death to end the pain they experience in this life. I hear their hollow, mocking laughter, their ridicule of those who believe in God, and I am reminded of Jesus' words to the church in Laodicea:
You say, "I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing." But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness, and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see......Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will go in and eat with him, and he with me...he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches (Rev. 3:17-22).
For most of us, our lives are about acquiring "wealth:" wealth of knowledge, wealth of skills, wealth of beauty to attract others to us, wealth of money to sustain ourselves in our need. Last season's Survivor divided the contestants into three groups: beauty, brawn, and brains, based on the gifts that each group tended to rely on to make their way in the world. One of the young women admitted to the secret (or "confessional") camera that she consciously used her beauty to manipulate others into giving her what she wanted. I thought it was interesting that she knew and acknowledged the dynamics by which she chose to live. But, in reality, I think we all know what it is we rely on to make our way through life -- our "riches," so to speak. For Donald Trump, it is definitely money that buys his way; for academics, it is their intelligence that sustains their lives; for Hollywood, beauty is the coin of exchange.
But when those gifts fail us, when our beauty fades, when our wealth cannot buy love or peace, when the world does not care what we know, what then? Who are we then? Who are our friends? And where is the water of life that satisfies our souls?
Blessed are they who discover early in life that the things of earth in which we put our faith will not satisfy us; blessed are they who know young that their souls need water as well as their bodies. I remember when I was 19 years old, I "fell in love" with a guy who wanted to marry me. He was everything I wanted at the time -- we danced so beautifully together that other people would stop dancing to watch us; his father owned a cattle farm in Texas; he was a lot of fun to be with, and my whole family loved him. But something was bothering me -- I knew that even with all of this, it would not be enough to satisfy my soul. I asked him once if he thought he could love me for the rest of my life. "I think so," he said --- and I instantly knew that I wanted something more than he could give me, even though I believed he would give me the best he had to offer. I knew I would not be happy with all that the world had to give me. I needed something more. To his amazement -- and mine, too -- I broke off the relationship.
What I was searching for was what only God could give me -- peace and overflowing love. Without that in the depths of my soul, I would destroy others searching for what they could not give me.
The "filling of the Holy Spirit" is not a one-time event; it is given to us again and again as our lives change and grow. But until we find the water springing up to eternal life, we go on searching -- and being disappointed in the people and things that cannot provide it for us. Some people become bitter and strike out at the people who have failed to give them what they were searching for --- but the end of the quotation above tells of the Only One who can provide the water, the bread, the salve for our eyes, the clothing with which we are able to cover our nakedness.
He stands at the door and knocks at every moment, without tiring. All we need to do is to open the door and invite Him in. It's that simple; like the Divine Physician that he is, he will then take charge of our weak, emaciated souls, providing the salve that heals our wounds, dressing our open sores, providing from His own body the food that nourishes our anemia, and giving us the laughter of true joy!
If we have experienced who we are without Him, why not give Him a chance to teach us who we can be with Him?
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