Bono & life, happiness, and pleasure
I’m up very early Sunday mornings to fine-tune my messages. Here’s what I’m teaching today (anyone can use this if you want). It’s taken from PSALM 16:11 (click on it!).
1. God makes known the path of life: This is not about making known how I should behave. It’s not like God gives me a detailed blueprint of how I have to live. He shows me a path, and I am free to walk it. Interestingly, to enter the path of life, Jesus said the gate is very narrow, and few find it. My painting THE NARROW WAY (click on it!), graphically depicts this struggle. But once we pass through the gate of death to self, the path is like an open pasture.
2. There is full joy in his presence: Joy isn’t an ‘automatic attitude’ for Christians. It isn’t natural to us. It is in God’s presence. This is where it gets mysterious, because God’s presence isn’t static, but dynamic. God seems to come and go, for various reasons. And sometimes, it isn’t the real me that is in his presence, but my false self. Here’s an applicable quote from Bono:
“When I wake up in the morning, I sort of put my hand out—spiritually—and I reach for what you might call God. Sometimes I don’t feel God, and I feel lonely. I feel on my own, and I wonder where God is. And then (pause)—again, I don’t want to be melodramatic about this—I ask God: ‘Where have you gone?’ God usually replies in a way that is hard to describe: ‘I haven’t gone anywhere. (laughs) Where have you gone? I haven’t moved.’ Then I have to check, and I realize that I have somewhere sold myself out. It usually happens incrementally, in tiny steps. You never betray yourself—at least I never betray myself—in big dramatic bold moves, like: OK, this morning, I’m going to rob a bank, and find out where my enemy lives and tie him to his bed. You slowly move from that person that is most like you” (BONO
3. All pleasures are in God’s right hand: Again, it is not a ‘guaranteed given’ that the pleasures are in MY right hand. They are in God’s to dispense with as God sees fit. We’d love to believe that we have the control over pleasure, love, possessions, money, sex, friendship, etc., but if we are honest, we have to admit that we really don’t have control over these things. They are gifts.
David doesn’t see himself in a direct causal relationship with life, joy, or pleasure. He is one step removed from them. He sees himself, rather, in direct relationship to God, the giver of these things, and realizes his enjoyment of all these things depends on God.
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For me at least, it means a 100% giving of myself to Christ in order to gain that 100% of life that He promises.That life is available. For me that is not so easy, moment by moment. Bono seems to have had the same problem. There are lot of clear black and whites. They are easy to define. There are many greys that I need guidance about. That is where the Holy Spirit is promised to me too.I have to listen. I was taught that if I can manage the small things, the bigger ones become more of a walk in the park. “Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves”….A quote by my Grandmother.
This book of interviews with Bono was one of those books that you wish you could pace yourself while reading, because its filled with such authentic, stripped down, heart stopping truths. Lovely to have a few moments with someone whos faith,their relationship with God seems a basic function of who they are.I find it interesting how the foundation of our relationship with God might be similar,but how its ” fleshed out”, makes it unique,individual. Your knowledge,(because of your experience of Him),might be different than mine,thats why relationship with one another is so important.Saint Anthony would often search out people with special knowledge or charactor, to learn from them.Course I’m not the monastic type,given to long periods of self contempletive exile,yet,my spirit yearns for necessary truth.