HOPE IS NOT A VACUUM

It becomes clearer each day that Sarte's contentless  and terminal "hope" is more a manner of vanity and pride of place and (baleful) influence than anything else.  It in fact qualifies on every level as, "strongholds...arguments and every pretension that sets itself against the knowledge of God..." (2 Cor 10:5)  Not to mention denial and self delusion. (But as for the alcoholic, misery loves company and social proof.)

I have come to the conclusion that, as I do weaken with aging, I really have too many opportunities of a worldish nature, and less and less time to fool around with them. "Look, it's really quite simple...
..."
The simplicity of the Gospel leads to The Basic Axiom, which is summed up in some of today's reading from the book and chapter noted above: referring to such plain wisdom as, "set no wicked thing before your eyes." Because if you do, you see, you will be left with Sartre's empty thought and nothing else--but still the Specific Content of God will not, and never, go away. Pascal's wager keeps popping up--but with this difference, as Lewis said: this particular story happens to be true--I might add, on every possible level.

Let it never be forgotten that Sartre from age 7 up, hated God.  His reasoning is/was sensate. The resentment of being one-upped in wisdom or authority or autonomy is probably the chief weapon (besides surprise) of all who hate God and need some kind of tangled rationale to dispose of Him. In that case, the philosopher can't even count on luck; supposing there is such a thing, which I cannot assume on any level. The power of self-deception is amazing--but it cannot move mountains and remains in the valley of decision like Godot's clueless tramps and Beckett himself.

Recently I have been quite discouraged--but I realized I was putting my nature and well-being at the disposal of almost anyone or anything besides God.  Like a true Pharisee, I was focusing on the superficiality of evil as if it alone had any substance.  But as noted above, in the end its substance is the null set. And this is entirely the opposite of life in and through and with Christ. Rather than focusing on legions, I find there is too much fermentation and mindless froth in the world to be taken up with it, or with people's weak points--I have too many of my own.


Aside: The matter of Entertainment has reached the king of boiling point of fecundity noted in Chapter 10 of "A Pilgrim at Tinker's Creek"--unsupportable at its present level, having only a faux influence but it's enough for the majority, all right. We certainly prefer a fiddle and the spectacle of Rome burning.

I also realized that there is plenty of Philippians 4:8 at my disposal that can be readily accessed if I will take even a little time to, "think  upon these things," and to leave all the rest behind.  It is as Jesus said about the little man who swept and garnished his little home, only to end up 7x worse than before, and without a proper exterminator --but Christ. It's not a matter of hosing the place down but doing as the Marys did--sitting at His feet while the opportunity--soon in the past--presents itself.

Hope...has a face.  Hope...is a Person.  Hope is open and ready for "whosoever will."  I can be stubborn and end up with a "handful of pebbles," as one despondent "higher critic" noted, looking back. (And I have enough to criticize within myself to have time to serve it up it up  for others who don't want it in the first place; much less judging God's Word and Spirit according to my faintness and ever- dimming sight.) Or one can arrange for a meeting...