Amid the doom and gloom, is there a glimmer of hope?
Fear, anxiety, panic and grief are just some of the reactions we see all around the globe as we grapple with a global pandemic, which drastically changes the way we live, work, play and worship.
Fear, anxiety, panic and grief are just some of the reactions we see all around the globe as we grapple with a global pandemic, which drastically changes the way we live, work, play and worship.
Some
of us may have lost a friend or family member to Covid-19 and might be thinking
whether we or our loved ones will be next. And that generates fear and anxiety.
For
those who are grieving over someone who lost the battle to the virus, life seems
harsh and unfair. They might have lost someone in the medical and healthcare team—who
are often in the prime of their lives—battling the virus in the front line.
Indeed,
life is so uncertain and unpredictable that we sometimes wonder about the meaning of life and whether there is
any hope for us in the afterlife. Now most people are too busy to consider the fact that tomorrow may well be our last day here on earth. Nevertheless,
this is an opportune time to reflect, philosophically, on these
issues.
Who am I? Why am I born into this world? Who created me? Am I merely a creature of chance or a product of a supreme being who is a designer par excellence? Am I born to accomplish a special purpose that God has set for my life? Or am I just like an animal born with needs and appetites that have to be met?
Who am I? Why am I born into this world? Who created me? Am I merely a creature of chance or a product of a supreme being who is a designer par excellence? Am I born to accomplish a special purpose that God has set for my life? Or am I just like an animal born with needs and appetites that have to be met?
What
is this meaningless cycle of life that most will have to go through? Is life
meant to be something like this: Go to school, work hard, enter university,
work hard, get a degree, secure a good job, buy a house and a car, get married,
have children, then grandchildren, get to play with them and then watch TV on
our rocking chair the rest of our lives till we die?
Abraham
Maslow, a psychologist, believes that people are motivated to achieve certain
needs. This hierarchy of needs is
depicted as different levels within a pyramid: physiological, safety, love and
sense of belonging, esteem and self-actualization. When one need is fulfilled,
a person seeks to fulfill the next one. For example, once our physiological
needs are being met, we shift upwards towards fulfilling our need for safety.
People
are motivated by different goals in life. Some live for fame or power. Others get enamoured with money or pleasure. For some, a spin in a Ferrari gives a sense of
accomplishment that they have arrived. Others set even higher goals; they can
only be happy when they get to cruise on their own luxury yacht.
However,
some are driven by noble objectives such as helping the poor, fighting human
trafficking or preserving the environment so that they will be remembered long
after they are gone. These humanitarian
goals give them a sense of fulfillment in life.
But will all these things really satisfy man’s deepest longings? Blaise Pascal, a physicist and philosopher says: “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.”
But will all these things really satisfy man’s deepest longings? Blaise Pascal, a physicist and philosopher says: “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.”
We
may have a string of impressive accomplishments and accumulated property but,
one day, we will have to leave all these things behind. We will all age and
finally die.
In
order to appreciate the futility of worldly success, let us consider the last
wishes of Alexander the Great. On his death bed, he summoned his generals and
shared his three ultimate wishes:
- The best doctors should carry his coffin.
- The wealth he has accumulated (money, gold, precious stones) should be scattered along the procession to the cemetery.
- His hands should be let loose so they hang outside the coffin for all to see.
Surprised
by his unusual request, his generals asked Alexander to explain. Here is what
the great man had to say:
- I want the best doctors to carry my coffin to demonstrate that, in the face of death, even the best doctors in the world have no power to heal.
- I want the road to be covered with my treasures so that all can see that the material wealth we acquire stays behind when we die.
- I want my hands to be exposed so that people will understand that we come into this world empty-handed and we leave this world in a similar state. We cannot take any material wealth with us to the grave.
When
we are young, we tend to think we are immortal. We put away depressing thoughts
about growing old and dying. But we have to face reality. Life is unpredictable
and short. The Chinese have this saying that coffins come in various sizes:
Some are so small they are meant to fit infants while others are full size to
fit grown-up adults.
Ecclesiastes
reminds us that life on earth is all in vain if we do not have a higher
purpose. Its writer, King Solomon, had everything a man could possibly ask but
he still felt empty inside. He built beautiful gardens and palaces and had
great herds and flocks. He had many singers, slaves and concubines to cheer him
up. He had unimaginable wisdom, pleasures and riches but he still felt that
everything is in vain. What does man gain by all his toil, riches and pleasures
on earth? Like animals, he will have to die one day.
For
a man who seemingly had everything in life, what was Solomon’s conclusion about
life? Here is his answer: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear
God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man”
(Ecclesiastes 12:13).
As
I write this post on Easter Sunday 12th April 2020, I am reminded of
Jesus’ comforting words to Martha who was grieving over the death of her
brother, Lazarus:
“I
am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet
shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do
you believe this?”
(John
11:25-26)
Upon
her confession of faith in the Master, Jesus authenticated His words by raising
Lazarus from the dead.
As
much as Christ defied death and resurrected to life, those who believe in Him will
also experience the same resurrection one day. Life, as we usually know it,
does not just end when our physical bodies die. There is a living hope if we
place our trust in Jesus.
- “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18).
- “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).
- “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
In this season of doom and gloom, there is a ray of hope for all who believe in
Christ … that, no matter what happens—even if they should succumb to the virus—they
can rest in the blessed assurance that there is life beyond the grave.
What
a blessed hope of eternal security that diminishes the fear of death during
this viral pandemic.
“O
death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
(1
Corinthians 15:55)
RELATED POSTS
HOW TO SHARE THIS POST
RELATED POSTS
EASTER: CELEBRATION OF
HOPE AND VICTORY
Easter
celebration focuses on the resurrection of Christ. But can this claim that
Christ rose from the dead be verified?
SETTING OUR HOUSE IN
ORDER
How
many of us prepare ourselves to meet our Maker—even when death isn’t looming on
the horizon?
DOES PSALM 91 OFFER
PROTECTION VS CORONAVIRUS?
Does
Psalm 91 offer absolute protection for believers from the coronavirus pandemic?
MAN PROPOSES, GOD DISPOSES
John
had great plans for his retirement. Having made his pile in the Malaysian real
estate business, he dreamed of spending his twilight years with his wife in his
own retirement cottage in the Cotswolds. But …
HOW TO SHARE THIS POST
CORONAVIRUS: HOPE BEYOND
THE PANDEMIC
Amid
the doom and gloom, is there a glimmer of hope?
No comments:
Post a Comment