Some
people believe life would be just great if they could only do as they pleased. You
know, get up when they want to, go to bed when they want to, work only when they
want to, and of course still have enough to eat, a place to live as well as
plenty of toys to play with.
I wonder what the world would really look like if
we lived in the Star Trek world Captain Jean-Luc Picard aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise describes. You know the world where people only work to
edify themselves, because everyone has a place to live and plenty of food to
eat and no one needs or wants silver or gold (money). Don’t get me wrong I pray for the day when poverty is
removed from all cultures upon the earth. But I wonder if society as a whole
would really work hard, sometimes even putting one’s life in danger to
accomplish the great tasks required to improve the world or to help their
neighbors. I want to believe “I” would and that others would work hard to make
life better for others out of love for neighbor, but I still wonder.
Several
years ago a religious writer asked this question, what does it mean to “love, and do as you please”? This is an
interesting question but is it a logical question considering our human tendency
to protect what we determine to be our own, whether it is family or our stuff.
Even though love is an action verb, it is also a powerful emotion, for good or
ill it has great power over us. So can we really do as we please when it comes
to love?
“We could think of the attitude of a mother
caring for her sick child whom she loves. She is not concerned with doing her
‘duty’ or merely fulfilling a parental obligation. Is she thinking, ‘What am I
required to do for my child in this situation?’ No! Motivated by love she does not
want to know the minimum she is obliged to do, but rather the maximum she can
do for the good of her child. She looks for the most competent doctor, consults
other parents, and obtains the most effective medicines. Why? Because she is
motivated by love and not mere obligation.” (Thomas Williams, “What does love have to do with
it?” Regnum ChristiWeb Site,
regnumchristi.org, September 2, 2004). Love motivates us to do the impossible, to work harder then we normally
would for self and to jump in front of a bullet for those we love.
I wonder if we can draw a parallel between this story and the human
divine relationship we have or should with God as our heavenly parent.
Christianity, to my knowledge, is the only faith that sees God as a divine
parent; as a parent who loves each of us in spite of our ‘sins’. If we believe,
as our faith proclaims, then we should see God like the mother in the above story
who would do anything for her children and we as the child should do likewise
even sell everything we have to gain the prize (the great pearl) which is a
loving relationship with God.
Christianity teaches that God sent his Son into the world to save us from
all the dark forces that wish to destroy our spiritual essence, whether that
force is the evil personified in the demonic i.e. the devil, or the force of
our own selfish nature. Jesus came into
the world to save us; this is the teaching of our faith. It is not a teaching
formed out of doctrine, or mandates and laws, but out of love. The love of God
who would do the unbelievable to save humanity, even sacrifice His only
begotten Son. Words to ponder… 