TO FILL A LITTLE SPACE

Although many think otherwise, the human race is morally bankrupt. In fact that has been so since Adam and Eve first occupied their space at Eden. It was their arrogant sense of autonomy that brought dishonor to themselves, and infected all their descendents with a malady which tinges all human thought and action.

Thus, moral excellence is not automatic for anyone. There needs to be a continual striving towards it. People are born corrupt, but with the possibility ever present and the resources readily available for anyone to move toward moral rectitude.

There was a time when it was customary for people to distinguish between right and wrong. People used to recognize the sure benefits of acting with integrity, just as they were familiar with the disastrous consequences of doing otherwise. Some key words dominated their thinking in those days, such as virtue, righteousness and some other related terms. Today, it appears, that vocabulary has become unrecognizable by many, just as the actions associated with those words also are.

The road to moral excellence must begin with personal choices. Through the help of God (and never without it) people may seek and find the paths which lead in that direction. What may appear a heavy burden for one to carry, quickly becomes a delight which anyone can bear with pleasure. Matters which initially were so appealing, though lacking the moral components, are now rightfully substituted for things which do not pass away, whose ethical and moral excellencies restore one’s sanity and sense of purpose in life.

Such reality has also been possible from the beginning, even after the disasters engineered by our first parents’ disobedience. God Himself had provided a moral compass, the observance of which ensures genuine, personal satisfaction, while disregard for it has been and remains the sure and certain road to disgrace and defeat.

This is beautifully illustrated by an allegory I remember since my youth. It refers to a locomotive which complained about the tracks on which it must travel. “Why should I be confined to these iron restrictions?” the locomotive shouted. But long before any answer came, it decided to jump the tracks, only to have its big wheels unable to move, as they got stuck in gravel and mud. Indeed, it was only within those steel or iron boundaries that the locomotive could make progress and remain true to its real function.

An old Christian hymn verbalizes a most reasonable prayer which more people should make their own: “Make me a captive, Lord, and then I shall be free!” This experience in the life of many individuals throughout the history of civilization, confirms the genuine freedom previously unknown to them until, at the end of their rope, they rendered their all unto the mercy of an all-knowing, all-loving, Heavenly Father.

God Himself has designed this road to lead us into a life of true fulfillment now, and of everlasting bliss after He calls us home, through Jesus Christ, His Son, Who loves us and gave Himself for us. Following His leading is the only safe path to take!

This entry was posted on Monday, October 23rd, 2006 at 9:57 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.