n e w c h u r c h l i f e : j u ly / au g u s t 2 0 1 7
through a lifetime of experience will now be put to use in carving one last
diamond, the largest and potentially most beautiful and valuable of all.
And you succeed! The stone – rough, irregular, practically opaque,
and with dangerous weak spots running through it – has been transformed
into a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, a brilliant gem full of light and color. What a
sense of fulfillment and joy you feel as you hold the crowning achievement of
your life’s work up to the light. The hackneyed slogan, “a diamond is forever,”
suddenly seems fresh and meaningful. And then you shrug your shoulders
and toss it in the trash.
Does that make any sense?
We are all diamonds in the rough. And our main use in life, whatever
our worldly occupation might be, is to cooperate with our Creator in the
carving of our character to make it fit for a place in His crown, that is, in
heaven.
One of the “proofs” of life after death, for me at least, is that it just
seems inconceivable that after a lifetime of being formed into a better person –
wiser, more loving, stronger and at the same time more conscious of our own
flaws and need of the Lord’s constant guidance . . . after finally learning to do
justly, and love mercy, and walk humbly with our God . . . after all the spiritual
labor of regeneration and providential molding of our spirit into something
more truly human – that after all this, we should just cease to exist when our
physical body dies.
No, we were not raised up from the dust of the ground just to be
returned to it – but for something infinitely wonderful.
“Like the stars of the morning, His bright crown adorning, they shall
shine in their beauty, bright gems for His crown.”
(WEO)
the “secret” to happiness
In a recent sermon on What Does the Lord Do for Us? in the Bryn Athyn
Cathedral, the Rev. Eric Carswell observed: “The Lord absolutely promises
heavenly happiness for those who follow what He teaches. He promises: ‘Ask,
and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened
to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him
who knocks it will be opened.’”
But he also noted that if we could be convinced that “wearing a little blue
dot on the back of your hand guaranteed a happier, healthier, more productive
life, we would all be wearing blue dots on the back of our hand.”
The best-seller lists are forever touting the latest book-of-the-month
“discovery” of the secret of happiness. They continue to sell because people are
desperate for some sort of blue dot magic that guarantees happiness.
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