Keep Calm and Carry On
2 Corinthians 4:16
Seeing the Invisible
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.”
Our bodies are breaking down every day. That’s a fact. No matter what we do, every day we are one step closer to the grave. The longer we live, the more physical problems we will have, especially living with a chronic illness.
Since I have a chronic illness, I have to take extra good care of my body, including getting regular exercise, massages, and eating a gluten-free/dairy-free/sugar-free/low sodium diet. I’m hyper aware of changes in my body, plus I have food allergies, sensitive skin, and a very sensitive immune system. You can see why I would have a tendency to be somewhat of a hypochondriac.
How do we cope with all the problems our bodies have? We have to keep calm and carry on no matter what our bodies are doing. We have to expect our bodies to break down and not be surprised by it, as if they were infallible machines. Let's view our bodies for what they are, vessels to use up and wear out while trying to do as much good as possible in this world. Deep down we know that our bodies should be perfect and that’s why it’s so upsetting when things go wrong. This is a fallen world, and we have mortal fallen bodies. Someday in heaven we’ll have a new immortal body and mind, but for now we have to take courage and strength from God. We must keep calm, carry on, and say: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)
We are dying each day in more ways than one. Each day we change and become a little bit different than the day before. This life is designed to help us change. Some people do not like change and actively resist it, clinging on to the old and not letting go. It is utterly useless to cling to the old when we need to accept the new. Every day we die to self when we accept change and learn to do things in a better way. This is an interesting concept that M. Scott Peck takes some time to explore in one of my favorite books, The Road Less Traveled:
"For us to develop a new and better idea, concept, theory or understanding means that an old idea, concept, theory or understanding must die." -M. Scott Peck The Road Less Traveled
"It is in the giving up of self that human beings can find the most ecstatic and lasting, solid, durable joy of life." -M. Scott Peck The Road Less Traveled
"Throughout life one must learn to die." -M. Scott Peck The Road Less Traveled
2 Corinthians 5:4-5
“For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.”
In the above verse Paul is talking about God preparing us for our future where we will have immortal bodies and live for the rest of eternity. Everything that happens in this life is part of God teaching us to become better people. He is aiming for the highest level of spiritual growth possible for us. One of the best definitions of love I have ever heard is from M. Scott Peck: “[Love is] the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth” (The Road Less Traveled). God is determined to see us grow. It pains Him greatly to see us suffer during this growth, but He loves us so fiercely that He allows Himself to bear it. Every parent suffers greatly when they have to watch their child suffer. How much more God must suffer. He is the Creator and Author of love, and His love far exceeds that of even the most dedicated parent. When you understand the deep love of God and His plan for our growth, it’s easier to understand some of the pain and suffering we go through. God is the definition of commitment, fully committed to us for life by His indwelling Spirit. He is always working patiently and tenderly to lead us toward growth. He watches us, examines everything we do, and develops lessons specifically for us. We need to learn to be good pupils and cooperate with His leadership and guidance. We work together as a team. These lessons don’t need to last for years if we keep applying what we have learned when the testing comes.
“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
How can God be building something that is breaking down at the same time? This is the paradox of life. God is building the eternal, while the temporal is slowing passing away. We are living in a dichotomy.
God is not as concerned with our physical bodies as He is with our soul. Our souls have infinitely more value because they are eternal. Bodies only have value if they have the breath of God in them. A body without life is valuable only because of how far science has come. A body can have value for donating organs, but that is only in a person who already has life. The body with life is what’s infinitely valuable. The infinitely valuable part is the spirit inside of us, not the body itself. It only makes sense to spend a significant amount of time on the infinitely valuable part of ourselves. It’s an eternal investment.
There must be a balance of keeping one foot in the physical world and one foot in the spiritual. If we don’t take care of our physical bodies and physical surroundings we will not be able to take care of our spiritual needs. We cannot focus only on the physical world and what we see in front of us. It is not all there is, and it will soon be passing away. If you take one look at the news, you will see this is a fallen world. This is a world marred by sin. We are now knee-deep in painful experiences of every kind. This world has a lot of beauty and a lot of pain. In light of all the pain we see, the Christian worldview is the only thing that makes sense. One cannot deny there are many things wrong in this world- things that are completely perplexing and disturbing. We must live in this world, but we don't have to live in fear.
2 Timothy 1:7
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
Some people live as if this were not a fallen world. Life for them seems picture perfect, and we may wonder why our lives are not the same. I have wondered this many times. It turns out many people are putting up a façade. There is a popular trend right now on Instagram where many people are putting up these completely glamorized images of themselves and their lives, making their lives appear perfect. They are spending a great deal of time and money to show a picture perfect version of themselves to the world. There is a certain innate desire we have to try to compete with these images of “perfection”. For most of us it is nearly impossible, although anything is possible if you have enough time and money. One thing is for sure, nice photographs will not matter 100 years from now.
We need to spend our time in a wiser way, developing our minds and spirits. God recently impressed this on my spirit. I was neglecting my intellectual and spiritual self, spending more time on the physical and was left feeling depleted. I had this thought occur to me: it's far better to spend your time and money on developing your mind and soul than your body because they last longer. The body is a temporary vessel. We put a premium on nice vessels in this society, but at some point, every single body, no matter how beautiful and well maintained, is going to break down and die. But the soul will live on. Of course all things should be done in balance. We should take very good care of our vessels, but there is a lot more to us than the shell. We need to be intentional about developing our inner selves. In this life we are in a state of a constant development, and cannot rely only on the development from the past. We need to keep developing daily.
We are not completely self-sufficient and never will be. Our bodies need outside help at times and our spirits need God. We cannot be spiritually healthy without Him. Recently I wanted to buy a bunch of self-help books to help me in different areas of my life. I strongly felt God saying I need to read the Bible more than any other book because it has everything I’m looking for. I started reading it, and again realized it is the most special book ever written. As I read it, I felt a connection with God that brought tears to my eyes. It gives wisdom for every single aspect of life. We just have to be willing to dig. I view the Bible as a treasure chest. If you dig deep, you can find priceless treasures. The best things in life take some effort to uncover. The Bible contains unbelievably valuable insights, age old wisdom passed down through the ages. Sometimes we have a tendency to think old books are not as good as newer ones, but they may be better, since they have endured the test of time. The Bible is the infallible Word of God and there is no other book like it in the world.
“We are so overwhelmed with quantities of books, that we hardly realize any more that a book can be valuable, valuable like a jewel, or a lovely picture, into which you can look deeper and deeper and get a more profound experience very time. It is far, far better to read one book six times, at intervals, than to read six several books.”
― D.H. Lawrence, Apocalypse
I want to spend my time on something meaningful. I don’t want to waste my time looking in the mirror and getting upset that my body isn't perfect. I want to accept that this physical world is passing away. I want to look at things with a long view, one eye looking towards eternity. I want to stand with one foot in eternity and one foot in the physical. I pray God would help straighten my priorities and let my life have eternal value.
Colossians 3:2
“Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”
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