In our culture, I see apathy and escapism everywhere. I think they go hand in hand. I hear them in simple phrases, like, “It’s alright,” “It doesn’t matter,” “No one is going to care,” “Don’t worry about it,” “You can only do so much,” “Do what you want,” “Whatever.”
I see them in sports, games, and recreational pursuits. People running on treadmills, lifting weights, climbing rock walls, and for what? They reach no summit, no destination. When I watch football, soccer, basketball, or hockey I can’t help but see people moving back and forth accomplishing nothing but wear and tear.
It seems like we spend our whole lives on these shuffle-boards, pretending to enjoy ourselves while we accomplish nothing and go nowhere. I watch the traffic build and fade each day like a beating heart –– people moving back and forth, back and forth. What do we accomplish? What is true productivity? Did Neil Armstrong accomplish something when he stepped on the moon? Did the Egyptians accomplish something when they built the pyramids? I can’t help but feel that these too are superficial.
As an artist I’m often convicted that my work is completely superficial and escapist. I’ve also been convicted that there is only one pursuit in life that is not superficial: the pursuit of character. If I have touched the stars, but have not compassion, what good is this? If I’ve achieved great fame, but care for no one, what use is it? If I build a city, but have no community, what’s the point?
These feelings have also deeply impacted how I understand my own Christian faith. I used to think, like many other Christians, that heaven is something we are waiting for, something to come later. But this is just another avenue of escapism. I no longer see heaven as a place in the afterlife. Rather, I understand heaven as intangibles, like love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness––glimmers of God’s character. Consequently, I also see hell as another set of intangibles: guilt, shame, pride, arrogance, selfishness and hate. In my understanding, God is Character, Jesus is a living, breathing embodiment and demonstration of Character, and the Holy Spirit is His Character resting on and in us. I no longer understand God as an all-powerful, omnipotent deity but rather the Character of Love who wishes to dwell in each of us. Ultimately you could say that “The Pursuit of Character” (the only pursuit that is not superficial), is to simply abide in God, and Him in us. God is not far off, but present. He is simply intangible, for what is love but something completely intangible? God is waiting to be a part of each of us, and the gates of heaven are open wide to us all.
Remember, though, that true character is only revealed in the middle of challenges. God’s way of moving often happens in the midst of nastiness––this is when His Glory is revealed. Patience is easy in prosperous times, but a man who can be patient even under the growing shadow of death reflects true Character. Gentleness is also common in tender times, but a man who is gentle in the heat of conflict reflects Character. Kindness, too, is a trivial thing, but when kindness is shown to a mortal enemy this reflects Character. Honesty, too, is a bit of common rubbish, but when in honesty one indicts himself, this honors God. To counsel peace in the midst of plenty is a blessing, but to counsel peace in a raging war is to know the heart of God. To have faith in what is tangible and visible is easy, but to have faith in the intangible is the Avenue to Heaven.
Today’s article is a guest post from artist Matthew Kiehl, who lives and draws near Washington, DC. For more of his writing and (extremely intricate) art, check out his website here.
Flickr photo (cc) by peteaylward
