Living the Examined Life

Back in 2013 I posted a blog called "High Resolution Living." The purpose was to encourage careful observation of our surroundings so that we would take advantage of opportunities to make a positive impression. In other words, how to live like a believer. I still stand firmly on the major premise, but as I had occasion to re-read what I wrote today, I found myself choking on my own words.

This would not be the first time I have found it necessary to eat my words. I am prone to letting my mouth run with my brain disengaged. The problem comes when I make a unilateral statement in writing and then publish it for all to see. Back in 2013 I said, " Real men don't make resolutions; they don't eat quiche, and they don't carry 'man bags.'”

I now own what would certainly qualify as a “man bag.” I was teaching in the prison and I wanted a small, simple canvas bag to carry the few things I am allowed to take in. So, for Christmas I received the present you see pictured here: an ammo bag, thank you. (Not the appropriate name for something carried into prison by visitors.) I know; it’s a man’s purse. But it’s practical; it does exactly what I need done under the circumstances. It has few pockets so the guards can search it easily, and it is big enough to carry what I want to take in. Strike one.

It gets worse. A couple years ago my wife and I received a selfie stick. (That's one of those telescoping rods that allows you to get a self-portrait from a longer distance, for those who don't know.) My youngest expressed shock that we owned such a thing.  In 2013 I could have easily said real men don’t use selfie sticks; they wouldn’t even do selfies. My Facebook photos now abound with selfies. Strike two.

And worse yet, in 2018, I realized that it was not really “Christian” to say I hate cats. (Read For the Love of Cats.) Although I had made my serious dislike of cats known to anyone who cared to listen, I came to the conclusion that God loves all His creatures, and if I am supposed to be transformed into the image of Jesus, I would have to do the same. It didn’t seem Christ-like to hate cats – or any of the creation He made for that matter. Strike three; Ouch!

What is this all about? The Spurgeon devotional I am reading had a piece on Ecclesiastes 10:7 which Spurgeon crafted into the admonishment to “reign in Christ Jesus over the triple kingdom of spirit, soul, and body, to the glory of God the Father.” This reminded me of the frequently quoted statement by Socrates who said, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” I will grant you that the sage was condemned to death soon after making that pronouncement, but it remains true, nonetheless.

I think I am pretty smart—most people who know me well think I am too smart for my own good – but I know that there is much I don’t know. This deficiency has nearly caught up with me in my old age making me question many of the things I have asserted as truth for much of my life. Hence the examination which makes life worth living, thank you Mr. Socrates. It is worthwhile, but it is not without pain and potential embarrassment.

For Christians this is especially important. Just think of the many things that Christians have historically believed to be true only to ultimately be proven wrong. The early disciples believed Jesus would return in their lifetime. The Roman church of the middle ages persecuted and martyred believers who asserted facts that contradicted the church’s interpretation of Scripture. (Galileo, Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler) The Crusaders believed they were doing God’s will to murder innocent unbelievers. Doctrinal misunderstanding abound: read “The Lies We’ve Been Told” and “Canaan Cannot Be Heaven” and “Many Called; Few Chosen” for examples.

For this reason, I believe it is important to keep the main thing the main thing, as someone once said. Jesus counselled us to seek first the kingdom and wait for all else to come our way. The kingdom to which He referred is a kingdom of the heart. Kingdom implies rulership; rulership in the kingdom of Heaven reigns in the heart. This brings me back to Spurgeon’s counsel; we must learn how to “reign in Christ Jesus over the triple kingdom of spirit, soul, and body, to the glory of God the Father.” A life examined in this way is ultimately the only life worth living. And for the record, I love quiche.