Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
John 12:25
Question: Is Jesus really telling us to hate this wonderful life that God, who created all that is, seen and unseen, has given to us?
Answer: No.
In our day-to-day lives, we experience many holy, beautiful things that help us to understand the sanctity of our earthly, human lives and draw us closer to God. Think of the love of a child. The re-emerging beauty that greets us every spring. Think of Mother Teresa and her life of service to the unfortunate souls in Calcutta.
The danger that Jesus is warning us about is loving our own, individual lives to the extent that we lose sight of our ultimate goal: eternal life in heaven. As we travel through our earthly lives, we frequently find ourselves overly occupied by a number of things, including:
· The need for comfort, safety and security
· Selfishness
With these things in mind, doesn’t it make sense that if we give in to the perceived “needs” of our earthly lives, that we will put our eternal lives in jeopardy?
So, we must do our best to keep the things of the world in their proper perspective. Hate the pressures of our daily lives that put too much emphasis on temporal things so we can properly prepare ourselves for the unimaginable glory that awaits us in the life to come.
The Rev. Bob McCoy
