our bodies are deteriorating all the time. we are in a constant state of movement - of friction that causes wear and tear on our tissues and cells and bones. we were not built to last - not in this state. we were not meant to be comfortable, to be completely content and cozy, even if that is what our default mode makes us strive for. there is no way to preserve this - the temporal here and now. and the sooner we are okay with that fact, the better.
i long for heaven. i hope for heaven. i ache for this to end sometimes - to hear the words "well done." but as i begin Don Miller's latest artistic achievement, i wonder what stories i will sit down and tell God? what will make my attempt at a life great in light of eternity? what will make God smile? as a writer, i love a powerful story. stories knit us together, stories transcend the temporary, and stories are, at their core, a life worth living. people will listen for hours to stories about selfless love, stories about lives spent in poverty and extreme giving, stories of spiritual transformation, stories of miracles and journeys and overcome odds and dreams realized.
no one wants to hear stories centered around making a lot of money and living an extravagant, selfish life. no one wants to hear about lives of muted monotany and job security. no one wants to hear stories about getting lazy, getting into a routine, getting a fancy car, getting insurance, getting popular, getting Prozac, and getting promoted. no one wants to hear about the guy that never changed, never jumped, never really risked anything and had a nice, fat retirement. it's boring.
but if those things are boring, why do we often strive for those things in our day to day lives? why do we brag about them when they happen to us, and get jealous when they happen to others?
because those things make life easier on us. they make the wear and tear a little less obvious, at least for a moment. you don't feel the friction. there is no tension. and then, poof, you die.
"I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permenant planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time."
- Jack London
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