Why You Cannot Be Spiritual Switzerland Part Three

On the other hand, there is something about passionate abandon that resounds in the human heart. We long for transcendence, and living for something we know is worthy of giving our lives away for. Now, Christianity claims that it is universally worth living and dying for, and that it gives meaning to all people’s lives. This declaration alone is worth an investigation.

Consider the most inspiring and noble pursuits of the human race; the highest achievements that people sweat and bleed and die for. There are many pinnacles of man’s hard-earned achievements: we excel in the arts, in economical freedom that sets the masses free from poverty, in literature, in just law, in athletic ability, in academics, and religious devotion, to name a few. But take any one of these noble pursuits and you couldn’t honestly make the declaration: this is what your heart was made for, and if you give yourself with total abandon, it will really set you free and transform you into something the world will stand in awe of. Could you image the most talented composer, or chef, or humanitarian saying: this passion is worth the total devotion of every man, woman, and child on the planet, no matter what their age, culture, or race. It would be ridiculous; they couldn’t say that, no one would claim that.

But Christians do.

Christians claim that there is transforming power in knowing God; that it sets your whole life on fire, never to be the same again. Christians say the passion you can have will only grow with time, since you can give yourself completely to it, knowing truly that you were meant to be defined by it. Many people live a life they could never begin to convince someone else was worth living. Other people live disciplined, passionate lives that they maybe could argue is worth their time and zeal, and small numbers might agree and applaud them. And then there are the religious people. The religions of the world, Christianity just being one, assert that the knowledge and love of God is the highest, deepest, prize that the whole reality of who you are should bend around. I live it everyday and I could say with absolute integrity to anyone that it is worth all of your time, money, pain, joy, dreams, your very sweat and blood. We don’t claim to be right for some people, or something to be done in moderation. Christians claim that what they have found is worth dying to tell other people about, and many spend their lives igniting the flame in other people’s hearts. Something to think about.