The woes of the world are overwhelming everyone these days. Responses to all of the disturbing news and events range from frustration to depression and suicide. There is also a wide range of suggested ways to cope with these problems.
I recently read an article from The Guardian, Life and Style, (Sept. 5, 2021) that went to Philippa Perry for advice and help. Philippa Perry is a British psychotherapist and author. She has written the graphic novel, Couch Fiction: A Graphic Tale of Psychotherapy (2010), How to Stay Sane (2012) and The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will be Glad That You Did) (2019).
In the article, Philippa is responding to a person’s question that is prefaced with having to make difficult decisions and “I can’t commit to anything. I feel no eagerness to live”. The article is somewhat lengthy and contains mostly questions and the frequently repeated statement “I am wondering if . . .”. She suggests that the problem is someone else’s fault. Philippa’s final conclusion and advice is very short and simple, “Give yourself time to feel, then find your own way”.
The questions and advice from this British author made me immediately think of similar observations and questions posed by another British author, Roger Waters. Roger Waters is the bassist with Pink Floyd and wrote the lyrics to one of my favorite Pink Floyd songs, Time. Pink Floyd fans know that Waters and other band members frequently questioned the difficulties of life and considered many to be just “another brick in the wall”.
In the song Time, Roger says (emphasis added):
Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way
Tired of lying in the sunshine, staying home to watch the rain
You are young and life is long, and there is time to kill today
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun
So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death
In a similar way to the person asking for advice and help from Philippa, Waters was also waiting for someone to show him the way. Because no one did or gave poor advice like Philippa, he missed the starting gun to life’s race. The final conclusion and feeling of “older, shorter of breath and one day closer to death” is sadly much like “I can’t commit to anything. I feel no eagerness to live”.
Next to Jesus, Solomon was the wisest man in history. During his time here on earth, Solomon sought to find wisdom “under the sun” or in other words, apart from God. Through his time searching and experiencing all that life had to offer, he came to this conclusion- it is all vanity. Solomon gave himself no limit to the pleasures that life had to offer and yet, it left him empty with no return.
Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun. Ecclesiastes 2:11
I am so thankful for those in my past that showed me the way and helped me hear the starting gun to life’s race. My true confession is that I have not done the best job of helping show others the way. If left to finding our own way, we are doomed. The Good News is that the Bible is full of directions and just a few of those quickly came to mind. The Bible is full of these, but here are just a few of my favorites.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33
And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19
If you have found yourself struggling to make commitments, or having an eagerness to live, could it be because you are searching for fulfillment from a life apart from God?
Live life under the sun and you will find it all to be vanity. Live life under the Son and you will find a peace that passes understanding, new mercies waiting for every morning, and a starting gun set for a race marked with suffering but ending with eternal glorification with Jesus Christ himself.