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The Doorstep of
Hell
Thomas
Merton writes: “To consider persons and events and situations
only in the light of their effect upon myself is to live on the
doorstep of hell.” (No Man Is An Island, p.24) He’s
right.
It’s
so easy to look at ourselves in an economy that is reeling like
a drunkard. Perhaps it’s a pay cut, a job loss, or financial
hardship. It’s so easy to look at our own pain in a world
filled with sickness, violence, and suffering. It’s so easy to
look at our circumstances when we feel victimized by unfairness
and injustice.
Yet,
truthfully, to consider everything around us purely in light of its
impact upon us is to descend into a level of self-centeredness and
selfishness that not only distracts us from Christ but from real life
itself.
The
tragic irony of selfishness is that as we strive to care more for
ourselves and protect our own interests we actually harm ourselves and
lose what matters most. The more the world revolves around us,
the smaller we and the world become. As we hold increasingly tightly to
our own lives, we inevitably find that we’re grasping nothing but
air.
Life
is not to be held tight but to be given. Similarly, we do not generate
life but receive it from others.
Perhaps
a meaningful definition of hell is “isolation from God and
others.” For the independent atheist this may sound idyllic, but
nothing drains and destroys us faster.
Whatever
we’re facing in these tough times, will we descend into the abyss
of selfishness or look at others around us? Will we pity ourselves or
trust Christ? Will we wear the mantle of misery over personal loss or
grieve the pain of others?
Merton
does not call for a false Stoicism, as though we ought to put on a
brave face no matter what. Rather he rephrases the immortal words of
Jesus, “Whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but
whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it.” (Matthew
16:25) This latter loss is no accident but a carefully calculated
choice.
When
the wheels are loose—in our workplace, in our marriage, in our
church, in our own life—let’s resolve not to shutter the
windows but to open them; not to worry about our own interests but to
minister to the hearts of others. In doing so, we may find that what looks
like the doorstep of hell actually becomes a window to heaven.
In
HOPE --
David
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