Time to Make Repairs?

When do we have to stop messing around and get serious?

While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.' - Acts 17:30-31

Two thousand years ago, Paul told the people of Athens that the time had come to set aside foolishness and start behaving, but not everyone listened.  Actually, very few were eager to leave their old ways of worshipping idols and turn to God.

I can understand that.  Here was this strange guy telling them a wacky story about the death and resurrection of one chosen by God to judge the world.  Even today, when we think of Jesus, who pictures him as one sitting on the judgment seat, separating the good from the bad?

We tend to slide along the spectrum of possible Jesuses until we find one we can live with, one who will fit into our lives.

I like the loving healer, while you may like the teacher and he may like the miracle worker.

But if we really want to get serious, we may have to face the reality that there will be no escaping the end game, that time of judgment.

There is a movie coming out about Dante's Inferno, another in the series of Dan Brown Biblical mystery thrillers.  From the trailer, it looks like we will be reminded of possible things to come for those who abandon God.

But in taking a closer look at Dante Alighieri's epic poem, I discovered something I had not thought about before.  The type of Hell Dante paints in the first part of his poem is one in which our choices in this life follow us into the next.

In other words, if we choose to ignore others, we will find ourselves alone throughout eternity, or if we choose to live without controls in our life, we will forever be unsatisfied.

These concepts have their roots in Aristotle, with Christian symbolism and teachings layered on and through, but it gives us reason to think.  Are we taking this life and how we live it seriously enough?

If we squander these ties, what will be our eternal fate?  Do we believe what we do here matters in the afterlife?  Do we believe there is such a thing?

If we don't, then it doesn't matter to us whether Jesus was a good guy, a doctor, teacher, rabbi or judge.  It doesn't make a difference to those who don't believe in eternity.

But if I do believe there is something beyond this life, perhaps I should take stock of my life and see how well I am making choices.  Is this the best life I can live?  Am I wasting time and being selfish?

Perhaps I will read The Divine Comedy and take a stroll through the Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise before I make any great changes, just to see what I may be missing.

Maybe the sheer imagery of it all will knock some sense into me and give me a clearer focus on what matters.  And if I find I am doing ok, all the better.

But if I see holes in the fabric of my life, now might be a good time to make repairs.

More to come...