Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God…
Deuteronomy 30:19-20a NLT
I’m currently reading Jordan Peterson’s Maps of Meaning, subtitled, The architecture of belief (Routledge). It’s a well-expressed and fascinating exploration of the roots of both experiential and learned meaning. It seems that whatever age we are, insecurities, or at least uncertainties, about the meaning of our individual life haunt our minds.
Crudely, meaning was taught to me through the trio of experiences (and some would say values) of stability, achievement and success. I grew up within a stable family. It had its ups and downs but, like puppies learning to survive, these were mostly healthy experiences. Initially greatly underachieving at school, I started to flourish once I perceived my parents’ disappointment and was able to focus on subjects that interested me. Finally, having qualified from Oxford, I again deeply disappointed my parents by choosing Christian ministry over well-paid and ‘respectable’ employment.
I certainly found meaning in serving God, if not financial security. I was at peace with myself, but searching for significance by pursuing platforms, affirmation and financial independence.
If I’d read scripture more closely I would’ve discovered that meaning is found in God alone. We have no knowledge of the stability of Jesus’ upbringing – but we do see he separated himself from his parents in Jerusalem at Passover. He also identified family not in nuclear terms; and this in a family orientated culture.
None of us can become who God created us to be until and unless we resolve this issue of meaning. It pursues us from an early age. Recognising my meaning is all about being in God is the start of a disconcerting journey. Take time this week to identify the sources from which you draw down your sense of value.
QUESTION
Have you resolved the meaning of your presence on the earth?
PRAYER
Like St Augustine, I recognise that my heart is restless until it finds its rest in you. Lead me into all truth, I pray.
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