The Cost of Destiny
“If your faith does not lead to a drastic change in your behavior it will not change your destiny.” ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon ~In my forever hope of perfect order, I have been going through hand written observations and annotations in spiral notebooks, on post-its, and on the back of everything from napkins to business cards. I am trying to transcribe and make use of, or dispose of, these tidbits of wisdom that for one reason or the other captured my attention sufficiently that I wrote them down, and kept them!
The above words, by the famed 19th Century, Baptist preacher were, in one of those notebooks. Spurgeon was the pastor of the London, New Park Street Tabernacle, preaching up to ten sermons a day, to an audience of thousands.
Of the many words I have bothered to save, these have struck me as particularly noteworthy, not because of the author, but rather because they stand alone. Our conviction must lead to action, otherwise it is pointless.
As a Christian, the meaning of Mr. Spurgeon’s words are powerful and without debate. I would imagine that anyone professing faith, regardless of the brand, would agree with what he has said. He, of course, was referring to our faith in Christ leading us to change how we act – the notion “to go and sin no more,” which thus leads to eternal life. Had I been sitting in his congregation, I would certainly have said an amen; though somehow a Baptist church, in England, in the 1800’s might well have not welcomed my amen or any other pronouncement.
What most struck me about his statement was the use of the word drastic! Drastic is forceful, extreme, dire, radical, severe, sweeping, far-reaching, harsh, and strong! It is not enough for our faith to lead us to change how we behave, the change must be drastic.
The headlines and forwards, of late, have been anything but comforting. Daily, it seems that we are barraged with new horrors and terrible news of senseless death and violence, economic hardships, wars and natural disasters – all of which seem to be calling for drastic measures. Who exactly should stand up and address theses matters? I am leaning toward you and me.
I feel as though we are starved for leadership, both in the secular and religious worlds. Repeatedly, we are asked to choose between the lesser of two evils, as opposed to discerning who is best qualified to lead – in whatever capacity a vacancy exist. Thus I come back to you and me.
Faith is a “confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing”. So what do we believe? More importantly, what do we believe in drastically enough to act? It is all good and well to want world peace, to believe that there should be world peace; but what are we doing to achieve world peace? If we are not acting, working toward making the things we want a reality, then our beliefs are irrelevant. There is no point in standing on a soap box, if all you are going to do is speak – you must act, and act drastically! We should not expect that others will lead the way.
So what is our destiny? Where do we want to be? How do we see our lives changing, growing and developing? When Spurgeon spoke of destiny he meant heaven – unquestionably where I plan to spend eternity, a choice I highly recommend; but what of our destiny on earth?
I do believe that faith, drastic faith, leads to destiny. I believe that the things which we love and inspire us to live full lives should be nurtured and allowed to bloom. What do you believe in? What do your beliefs inspire you to do? We should not sit on the sidelines of life, thinking others will carry our torch or that our torch does not matter. I believe we each have a unique contribution to make, and I believe that the seeds of that contribution were planted in us, and only us. Only I see the world through my eyes; and only I am responsible for my destiny. If life is not quite what you want it to be, it is time to take a look at what you believe in – what you care about. Are you being true to yourself? Are you nurturing the seeds planted in your soul, or have you let the weeds grow so high that they are choking your seedling and absorbing all of the nutrients?
As I write these words, my face is once again covered in red spots; I look like I have the measles. (Yes, I did see a doctor, for all of those who know me well enough to know I hate going to the hospital.) I am apparently allergic to my garden, which breaks my heart. I am trying to find alternatives to playing in the dirt, like potting my plants, which is also an act of faith, as we prepare to move to a house we have not yet found. I know that I should walk away from gardening, but I truly cannot.
Sitting at my desk, I can see the now more than six foot tall avocado tree, which my Mother planted from a seed. There is beauty and life in what God and she created; and thus it is my pleasure to tend to the tree. (Yes, the poor tree may well end up in a very big pot, so that it too can move to our new home.) When I stroll through my garden, I am blessed by beauty, history, and life. I remember my Aunt Helen, with the bleeding heart babies, which have now become bountiful and blooming vines; and I think of Patty and Luis and the peace lily which they gave me when my Aunt Helen passed away.
The love of nature and the desire to tend a garden was something planted in me, which I believe in and which I chose to nurture, just as my love for words and pictures, adventure and travel, sweets and savories, history and politics, and people and God!
Our destiny does not come without a price tag, be it red spots or broken hearts; but the cost of living without belief is too high. Our beliefs should spur us to take drastic action, and that action will change our destiny. That is all for now.
