“Fear not that thy life shall come to an end, but rather fear that it shall never have a beginning.”
– John Henry Newman (Leaves of Gold, pg. 55)
What is this thing called life? The answer may depend on what we believe constitutes life. For example, seen through a biological lens we could say that life is the nature of existence of things that have capacities like growth and multiplication. Socially, we could define life as the course one takes through the years between birth and death. To a philosopher, life might be understood according to things that give a sense of meaning and purpose. What is life? I suppose it depends on whom you ask.
Newman’s quote immediately forces us to think of life in a different way. The idea that one’s life never had a beginning seems counterintuitive. Logic would insist that if I am here, then my life obviously had a beginning. But again, that depends on how we choose to define life. If we consider life to be the manifestation of biological processes or the span of years between one’s birth and death, Newman’s observation makes no sense. We must think in a different way, one where Jesus can help.
The Bible records these words from the lips of Jesus: “I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10b). The older I get, the more rich those words become. I am not suggesting that Jesus’ statement is cloaked in deep mystical meaning. We can rightly conclude what is clear from the rest of scripture’s witness, that Jesus came to rescue us from the sentence of death stemming from our choice to break fellowship with our Creator (see Genesis 3). But is that all? I am highly persuaded that Jesus had more in mind.
Very often, and sadly, Christianity is seen as the way of securing a ticket to heaven for whenever one’s years are complete. If that is our view, I believe we are missing much of what Jesus offers. Jesus himself spoke of the necessity for two births: one physical, the other spiritual (see John 3). Holding this truth before us, Newman’s words can now speak. It is entirely possible to go through our years without ever truly beginning life. The abundant life offered by God begins when we open ourselves to God’s presence, surrendering to His lordship and receiving His Spirit to abide with us. What we miss by ignoring Christ’s offer of life is truly incomprehensible.
“Fear not that thy life shall come to an end.” Jesus, in fact, says “whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25). The real tragedy is not that our lives may come to an end, but rather that we would never discover the fullness of life offered by Jesus. The life he offers has far more joy and meaning than anything we will experience without him. Why would we want to miss it?
See you along the Winding Path.
The Winding Path 