We sat on stools, gathered round a table. The inside of the house was rather dark. Soil covered the bare cemented floor. At the next table sat a man. Dark complexion, slightly pudgy, with a really loud voice. He was the village chief.
Something he said really struck me. All men are sick, it’s only a matter of when it would manifest itself. That’s a universal truth which none of us can evade from.
This man knew that no one could escape the clutches of death and decay. I knew that death and decay is a consequence of sin. It got me thinking about the universality of sin. It was something that none of us could escape from. And though many may not acknowledge it, it isn’t hard to observe it playing its toll on our lives, as did the village chief, though himself not having yet come to terms with the issue of sin and grace through Jesus Christ.
There is much excitement from novelty. Excitement never sustains. The luster of novelty eventually wears off, and never can withstand the erosive actions of time. Joy is perhaps, most readily found when old truths mature, blossom and ripened with age. It was the rediscovery of old truths which brought much, if not most, joy during this trip.
The desire for blessings and pursuit of self-advancement often blind me from some old truths which fundamentally affects every single life. During this trip, I was yet again reminded about how these truths affect life, whether or not we acknowledge it.
The others were busy setting up the equipment when we arrived at the second village. Prof asked if I wanted to take a walk around the village, and I agreed. We came to meet some of Brother Yao’s relatives, mainly his cousins. They gathered around, having a rather cavalier mood. Some we reminding their children, others were just talking. We took some photos and then moved on.
As we continued with our walk, Brother Yao explained to us that it was their routine to meet up before starting the day’s work. Some in the fields, some tending to their provision shop. Towards the evening, they would again gather in the same place. Smoking, drinking and picking fights. A disoriented pursuit of pleasure and joy.
This phenomena isn’t unique to them. It plagues us even where we are. And it reminds me about the universal nature of sin, of how we decide to rule our own lives and define what pleasure and joy is. A refusal to acknowledge the Creator and live life in the way He meant it to be.
It very much exists in my own life, albeit in very different manifestations. For them, it might be something more immediate. For me, I might delay my gratification a bit longer, in hope that the joy and pleasure felt might be more intense. It’s not because I’m any wiser or more moral, but the chief end of my achievements very much betray whatever morality or altruism that may hang on my lips.
I might stave off alcohol and cigarettes this very present moment, and not pick fights for moral reasons. Giving every bit of my time to useful work, motivated by the prospects of a future pleasurable life. Not much difference from the former, since pleasure is derived from what human hands have created. A self-made man.
Sometimes, Jesus gets reduced another one of those deities who rescues me in my time of need. A solution to my immediate problems. A stepping stone for self-advancement.
Those two events reminded me of who really needs the Gospel. Me. A reminder of why I need the Gospel. To save me from myself. To save me from deriving pleasure in myself. To save me from my pursuit of self-glory. To save me from being god.
Not about blessings, or a better life. But the way to set things in order, for sin has corrupted every part of my being. He showed me how my pursuits were for myself, for my pleasure, for my name, for my glory. He showed me how much I needed Him, to put an end to all these. And he showed me how he done it. The Cross.
The universal problem, sin. The universal solution, Jesus Christ. That’s the old truth that never fails to amaze me and leave me in awe of the One who was, who is, and is to come.
