You Can Quote Me on That“I have heard it said that two heads are better than one. Whoever said that
obviously took ‘personality’ out of the equation”
What a beautiful morning after such a dreary week...rain, rain, rain. Not the hard stuff. Although, we did occasionally get the “hard stuff”. We mostly got the gentle down pour. And when it wasn’t raining, it was still cloudy.
But this morning…wow!
I realized something about myself this week. (Self-Actualization – Abraham Maslow would be so proud of me). I was teaching my bible class, “Life of Christ”, and sharing with the class my soul shaking fear of not wanting to die. I told them that I want to “…live forever…” I also told them that I am afraid of hell and that I don’t want to go there. I also told them that hell isn’t physical torture on an earthly body, but rather unquenchable misery.
I DON”T WANT TO MISS HEAVEN!
As I was sipping my fine cup of java this morning, I realized the origin of this fear.
As a youngster, my dad gave me a lot of latitude. He would let me do things on my own as long as I followed the rules. Specifically, if we went to a store, I could wonder away to section that appealed to me just as long as I “didn’t touch”, and when he was ready to leave, I was to be ready to leave.
I wasn’t too bad about it. Every once-in-awhile I would get the message “I’m gonna’ leave you!” I would very quickly put down what I was doing and make a dash for my dad. You see my dad meant what he said.
One day I was with my dad at a K-Mart® more than 4 miles from home. I must have been about 9 or 10 years old. He went there to get parts for his truck so he could tune it up and change the oil and filters. That was boring to me. So, I headed of a few isles over to the toy section. Not a problem. I saw my dad make a move for the front of the store. I was right behind him. He then got in line behind 5 or 6 people that had a lot of stuff. It was the only cash register open. I stood there for what seemed like a whole hour bored out of my mind. It was probably 10 seconds. That’s when I noticed my second favorite place in the store…the comic book section. So while dad was waiting in line, I thought I would catch up on Spiderman (my favorite) and batman.
It was a great spot! From where I was, I could see my dad and the front doors. I was right at a good spot with Spidey and Doc Oc when I heard my dad’s voice say “I’m Leaving”. I know I responded verbally but I didn’t even look up. I had to finish this! I figured I was a couple a seconds behind my dad. It was probably more like 10 minutes. I have a terrible reality of time. I darted for the door. I went to where my dad parked…he was gone. I got left behind.
I cannot begin to tell you about the anguish I felt. I can’t describe it. I lost my security. I lost my dad’s favor. I would eventually have to deal with his wrath and judgment.
I began to walk home. I watched at every turn, every corner to see if he would be there. He wasn’t. This wasn’t an idle threat. This was for real!
I began to think of what he was going to say, what my punishment was going to be when I got home. That was as bad as being left behind. I cried…a lot.
I thank God for this experience.
The anguish I felt as a child felt like an eternity. It took me an hour and a half to walk home. Friend, that was just a little taste of what hell will be like. With hell, there is no second chance. There is no tomorrow. Hell is an eternity of anguish with no chance for change.
I never want to experience that emotion again. I am motivated to make heave my home at all cost.Heaven – Don’t Miss It!
3 comments:
Wow! You realy brought out alot to think about.
1. A childhood without consequences means a lifetime without conviction. How many parents today actually follow through on their threats? I am not condoning child abandonment or endangerment. However, your dad helped you learn an eternal message that day. According to our choices we will each face God's love, mercy, and grace or his wrath. I am afraid that too many people just do not see the reality in eternal consequences because the have never had to face temporal conseqences for choices made in childhood.
2. Is fear a long term motivator to make right choices? When my family first began taking me to church in the mid 70's, I remember being scared to death when learning about the second coming of Christ. At the time, it was a constant motivator to ALWAYS make the right choices and in effect kept me scared out of my wits. Although I wanted to do right, I was a child. I did not understand about about God's love and mercy, but heard so much about his wrath. I didn't dare do anything wrong. However, I found that Christ did not come back that day, week, month, or decade. I began to loose the urgency and even questioned some tactics of the Church.
Over time, I became exhausted with always trying to be GOOD out of fear of the eternal consequences. Yet, the initial motivation that brought me to Christ was always with me. Before I was introduced to the power of salvation to change a life, I always new that there must be something better. I was empty and needed something, but I did not know what. Once my parents came to Christ and I built relationships in the Church, I recognized something in the "Church people" that I did not understand. It was something good and right and something that I did not have in my life.
When I gave myself to Christ as a ten year old child, I simply knelt beside my bed and said three words, "God save me." Then, I went to bed. I did not know the meaning of those simple words, but I knew that they had the power to make a life what it should be.
Although fear may occasionally serve as a shock back to the reality of eternal consequences, it is the understanding that my life is nothing without Christ that keeps me motivated to follow Him. Fear is emotionally and even spiritually draining. Christ is strength and power to be what I desire to be in the depths of my soul.
3. When I discovered Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, I was amazed how much humanistic psychology explained the quest for spirituality. Of course, coming from a christian perspective I interpreted self-actualization as the emptiness that can only be filled by finding the Will of God for ones' life.
In looking at the Hierarchy from a christian perspective, I almost wonder if the ladder is not upside down. Natural man in his quest for fulfillment begins at the bottom trying to get his needs for food, shelter, safety, love, esteem met before he has the motivation to seek the higher life of self-actualization. However, it is possible that man can find self-actualization with Christ before attaining lower level needs.
I have found that Christ is the answer to fullfillment of the most basic to the most complex human need. I have experienced times when the need for food, shelter, safety, emotional stability and esteem were not within my immediate grasp. Yet, I still knew who I was in Christ. When I understand who I am in Christ, and how much He loves and cares for me, I do not worry what my life may hold today. I know that he has a plan for me. His plan is not to do me harm, but good all the days of my life. Without Him, my life is nothing. With Him, my life has meaning, direction, and pupose.
Thank you for your thought provoking commentary. I needed this today.
I too, desire to make Heaven my home. When times are bad, my natural human tendency is to grasp for those lower level needs to be met. I have the "right" to be fed, clothed, and sheltered; to be safe in my own home; to be respsected, and even loved. Yet, on a spiritual level I realize that God himself is the only one who loves me enough to fullfill my deepest needs all of the time and for all eternity.
Pray for me as I pray for you. The journey is long. His promise is sure.
Blessings,
AFAD
Inspires words form a a man who can ski! I had a dad that was very similar. I love him to death. I'm under the assumption that it's his fault I am the way I am today. But let's face it, it is definitely better than any alternative. I love you dad!
It was extremely interesting for me to read the article. Thanks for it. I like such themes and everything connected to this matter. I definitely want to read a bit more soon.
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