A Servant of the Day
This article by Dr. Esolen struck a chord with me, a fundamental chord. It is about doing rather than planning to do. All my life I've avoided doing, because doing is hard, dirty, painful, and usually humiliating. I never seem to notice that doing also brings the sweetest rewards and deepest pleasures. This past year and a half especially, I have fought the concept of "doing." Theory is so much more fun than practice! Why? For me, it is because theories are under my control. I can play with them, arrange them any way I like. A computer game has the same effect. But my theories very seldom work out in practice, and I know it.
In fact, the only "theories" that apply to reality are principles of divine law. It makes a little sense, after all, to suppose that God would order His creation according to His own rules, and that creation would have to live by those rules. Therefore if I were to actually set out to do something, I would have to do in obedience to the structure of reality, which means obeying the Bible - obeying what Schaeffer calls "verbal propositional revelation": verbally, propositionally revealed rules for living long and well in a universe which I did not create.
Is it any wonder that I'd rather theorize? But here's the kicker, the awful truth. I am never so truly glad, so deeply and solemnly joyful, as Lewis might say, than when in this very obedience. It's not hard to see why. Am I not also a creation? Have I not also been made to take pleasure in certain ways? Is it so strange that I should find my deepest good in doing as I was created to do, that is, glorifying God? The works of John Piper taught me this, but they are a modern version of St. Augustine.
"And man, being a part of Thy creation, desires to praise Thee, man, who bears about with him his mortality, the witness of his sin, even the witness that Thou 'resistest the proud, ' -- yet man, this part of Thy creation, desires to praise Thee. Thou movest us to delight in praising Thee; for Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee." - Augustine
Until I rest in Thee....
In fact, the only "theories" that apply to reality are principles of divine law. It makes a little sense, after all, to suppose that God would order His creation according to His own rules, and that creation would have to live by those rules. Therefore if I were to actually set out to do something, I would have to do in obedience to the structure of reality, which means obeying the Bible - obeying what Schaeffer calls "verbal propositional revelation": verbally, propositionally revealed rules for living long and well in a universe which I did not create.
Is it any wonder that I'd rather theorize? But here's the kicker, the awful truth. I am never so truly glad, so deeply and solemnly joyful, as Lewis might say, than when in this very obedience. It's not hard to see why. Am I not also a creation? Have I not also been made to take pleasure in certain ways? Is it so strange that I should find my deepest good in doing as I was created to do, that is, glorifying God? The works of John Piper taught me this, but they are a modern version of St. Augustine.
"And man, being a part of Thy creation, desires to praise Thee, man, who bears about with him his mortality, the witness of his sin, even the witness that Thou 'resistest the proud, ' -- yet man, this part of Thy creation, desires to praise Thee. Thou movest us to delight in praising Thee; for Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee." - Augustine
Until I rest in Thee....
posted by Praelucor at 11:46 AM
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