Thoughtful Moments

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 44, 15 February 1946, Page 2

Thoughtful Moments

(Supplied by the Wliakati*

at; Ministers’ Association).

THE DIFFERENCE CHRIST MAKES

Bj’ the Rev. James Reid D.D. "To me to live, is Christ.” In her book on Jugo-Slavia Miss Rebecca West recounts a talk with a Serbian l'ricnd in which lie told a story of great heroism. On that he went on to say } a man can built up a philosophy of life.. “It makes a man’s life worth more Aian it was before he heard it.” There are various ways in which one might describe the difference. Christ makes. If we are to commend our faith we should be clear about what these differences arc and be able to state them. But one of the differences He makes is surely this,, that He makes our life mean more than it did before we met with Him. He intensifies and deepens life. In some cases, He. gives meaning to things and experiences that once meant little or nothing. For life is like a message in code. Its mean-.

ing does not lie on the. surface. You must have the key before you can Understand it. II is that key He puts into our hands. Take for instance our view of ourselves and ol our essential nature. Life will not mean a great deal to us if we ta«.e a poor low \ r iew of what we are. That was the trouble with many whom Christ met in Palestine, Their lives were colourless, dull, irresponsible. They had the feeling that they were mere straws in a current, flung this way and that by forces around them. No one thought or cared much about them. What did it matter how they lived or what became of. them? But' when Christ spoke to them of God's love and care their whole outlook was changed. They discovered in His presence that they were the children of God with a place of their own in His love. -Life began to mean

something, it did matter lirnv they lived, and what they did. A new meaning came into simple actions. Life was charged with opportunity. It was often tilled with shame to begin with; but this shame was. like the pain that comes when life begins to return to a limb that has been paralysed. All kinds of emotions began to stir in hearts that had been dead —pity and love and hope.( Or take our daily work and the ordinary routine of duty. No one can doubt that behind a good deal of the friction that pervades industry today there lie deeper reasons than the demands' lor shorter hours or better pay. These may ease the burden or at least men think so; but the burden will remain for its roots are deeper than the surface. Tne real fact is that the meaning has gone out of work and duty. It is mere

blind routine a set of actions endlessly repeated. The problem is how to put meaning into work which is meaningless. Whatever else may be suggested, the only way is by cm listing men’s minds and wills in a

OUR SUNDAY MESSAGE

purpose greater than themselves in which they share. A journalist tells how during the. war lie visited one of our m.t.b.s The youth in charge was obviously enjoying his. job. Ha was thrilled with it. ‘‘Now,” he told the visitor, “life means something” lie had a bit to .do in a big task and that had never happened to him before. The writer in his article remarked that this is the j'eal problem on many lives, and the Church did not appear to be able to solve it. But he was wrong. Christianity does hold the real answer.

The trouble is that few people will take, pains to find out what it is and accept it. Once Christ spoke to a crowd of just such people. They had to work hard and work was often dreary. They were “weary ami heavy-laden.” But the trouble was not in their work, it was in their motive their outlook. “Take My Yoke upon you,” He said. A yoke is not a though we often use tlxe word as if it were. It is the thing that links an animal to its burden and the purpose, of that yoke was not to tie them to it. It was to make the plough or the cart easy to draw. That is where our trouble lies when work is weary. We have lost the vision of Clod’s purpose in it or’ of His love in setting us to a task in which we. can serve His Kingdom. The moment we get a clear vision of His purpose and realise that in what we are doing, we can serve that purpose and do

His will a new meaning comes into the sendee or the toil. It is no longer the routine or earning a liv-f ing; it is co-operation with God in which what counts is not success or profit but faithfulness and compassion and cheerfulness.

New meaning comes into all experience when Christ comes into the heart and when wc see things with His eyes. Home and love have, deeper and richer meanings when we learn from Christ what love is and see one another with His compassion. One of the tragic things about the prevalent irreligion is that human love loses its vital meaning and assumes a mere sensual emotion. The real root of many broken homes is there. Love is a shallow tiling, without meaning or power which cannot stand up to the friction and strain of living.

All experience has meaning when Christ comes in. Even those which seemed like utter waste and futility are seen to have their valuePain and suffering begin to take a real place in a world which is lit by God’s redeeming purpose. Failure and disappointment have their uses in a life, which is being disciplined and trained for God’s fellowship. Nothing is ever wasted or useless when life is daily lived under God’s care and guiding. Something lives in every hue Christless eyes have never seen.