"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."
//Matthew 13:44//
During the drive to Norristown today, I had the opportunity of bouncing off of Dan a thought that has been developing in my head. It all began on Friday evening when I asked each of my coworkers what it is that makes them feel alive. I was surprised by none of their answers: for Abi, writing; for Ben, music and his wife, Amber; for Lia, being in the midst of God's creation; for Crystal, one-on-one conversations. I've heard it said that the flaws we believe we are hiding so well are actually visible for all the world to see, but I think we are also naked in where our passions lie. We are not merely talented in those areas, but we are brought to life by them.
For me, my passion is for powerful writing and the beautiful paradoxes of God's world. I can literally feel myself light up when I share with someone about Orthodoxy or revel in the delicious irony of Blackwood's death in "Sherlock Holmes." It makes me think of the last lines from the lullaby in Like Water For Chocolate that I shared before: "You are the light of my eyes, my eyes / I'm brought to life by you."
There are two kinds of people in this world. The first group is that variety of people who have sold themselves completely because they know that it is far better to live inside the passion that God has given them, indeed to live, than it is to pursue the things of this world. You know them because they are flourishing, radiant with the rightness of walking in God's perfect will for their lives. One example that comes to mind is one of my church's pastors, Corey. He is genuinely and radically surrendered to God's work, and you will not find anyone more open and honest in his failures or more ebullient and outspoken in his joy. He is the ultimate sell out, and I rather think he'd thank you if you called him that.
The second group are those people who have chosen to cut off the desires God has placed within them because they have bought in to the lie that wealth, health, and the ever-fleeting siren of happiness are the best things in life. They try to fill the empty spaces with flash and glamor, but like a child who digs holes by the seashore to capture the waves, their wants will never be satisfied. They are zombies: the breathing dead.
Going back to the Matthew verse for a moment: what is the kingdom of heaven? I would suggest that it is a potentiality that will one day be actualized in the return and eternal reign of Jesus Christ. However, we are able to recognize some elements of that potentiality in the present. I firmly believe that part of establishing the kingdom on earth is the desperate, sold out pursuit of the purpose God has given each one of us and all of the passions and desires associated with that purpose. Hence, Ben can go into a studio to record a demo, and all of heaven rejoices. Lia is brought to worshipful silence at a perfect ocean vista, and the foundations of hell tremble. Like a pine forest caught up in a drought, all it takes is a small flame to create a roaring fire. We are powerful people when God brings us to life.
The Lord's Spirit calls
He's singing,
"Follow my road to sorrow and joy
Be intertwined
And find
All things are under my wings
And rise
Given time.
//from "Desert Father" by Josh Garrels//
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