New Post...on a Friend's Blog

My latest bit of written musings is on a topic that haven't tackled yet: Relationships. Yep, romance, love and all that good stuff. However, you will not find this post on this blog. Don't worry, its out there for you to read, you'll just need to visit my friend Caitlin Muir's blog to read it. Click here if you want to travel over to my post on her blog right away!

While you're over there, be sure to check out some of the other posts. Caitlin's blog has a strong focus on how your beliefs should practically affect your life. While I can't guarantee that you'll agree with everything you read, I'm sure that you will find her ideas thought provoking (which can be more valuable than finding someone communicating ideas you already agree with).

But, enough posting about the post. Head over to Caitlin's blog, read the posts she has up, leave a comment or two, and join the conversation!

Truth and Satisfaction

Last fall schoolwork had me studying American Literature. Assignments from one week brought selections from Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass. While reading the introduction to this key collection of poetry, I came across the following quote:

"Whatever satisfies the soul is truth."

I don't know how it strikes you, but I actually find that I could agree completely with Whitman. Some of you might be disagree with me, and not without good reason. After all, hasn't Whitman in those six words summed up the idea of Relativism? This is a question which is worth a closer look.

By way of background, relativism is the belief that there are no absolutes. Usually the term is used in reference to moral absolutes, but it can be used to refer to a belief about the nature of absolute truth in general. Other statements which epitomize this idea of relativism include:

• "Whatever floats your boat"
• "It's all good"
• "Who are we to judge"
• "There is no right and wrong"
• "Just because it's true for you doesn't mean it is true for me"

Read Whitman's statement again and notice his standard for truth: "Whatever satisfies the soul." If what satisfies us is the determining factor in what is true, than there is no firm definition for truth. After all, we are all satisfied by different things. In some areas, these sources of satisfaction can be contradictory (for instance, my love for coffee and other's pitiable distaste for it). If truth can be both "a" and "not a" at the same time, it really isn't true or a guide for life.

Given this argument, why I would agree with Whitman's statement? The answer to that question lies in definition.

What do we mean when we say "whatever satisfies the soul?" From the perspective of the Bible, the only thing which will satisfy our soul is living in line with God's plan for the world. "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4 ESV)

With this definition of satisfaction, Whitman's statement makes perfect sense. After all, there is only one time we are ever truly happy in this world, when our lives align with the Truth. It logically follows that the more joy we have in our lives, the closer we are to living the Truth.

But that's the rub. Most of us want to define satisfaction for ourselves. Because of the fall, we think that we know what is best for ourselves...and it definitely is not what God wants for us. By pretending that we can define what brings happiness, we end up running from our most fulfilling satisfaction. C.S. Lewis puts it this way in the Screwtape Letters: "...we always try to work away from the natural condition of any pleasure to that in which it is least natural, least redolent of its Maker, and least pleasurable. An ever-increasing craving for an ever-diminishing pleasure is the formula. It is more certain; and it's better style. To get the man's soul and give him nothing in return..."

In the end, Whitman's quote seems to hold out both a promise and a warning. It promises us that Truth and pleasure enter our lives hand in hand, and that having one will include having the other. However, it warns us that aside from God's salvation and sanctification, we will be blind to both Truth and pleasure.


Do you agree my my analysis of Whitman's quote? If so, how should it affect how we evaluate our lives and beliefs? What kind of an impact should it have on our outlook on life?

But They Never Came to Rivendell

Life is not always a bed of roses. Sometimes its more of a road with rocks waiting to trip you up. That's where life has been for me recently. Rough, stressful, challenging. Full time work and full time school, an upcoming move from the community I've built up, plus a few other things are all stacking up. And I don't know about you, but I don't really like it here, in the rocky road. Pain is never really fun. One can only pretend that it's all good for so long on their own. In that context, I came across this quote in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings:

"...they missed a dark and dangerous journey. But they never came to Rivendell."

In the course of the book, this quote is actually talking about the Hobbits ponies that were scared off during the attack on the Inn at Bree. In this little aside, Tolkien relates to us how they missed the rest of the difficult journey which Frodo and Company took. However, this also meant that they never made it to Rivendell, the elven refuge for rest and encouragement. In the tales of Tolkien's world, it is also aptly referred to as The Last Homely House.

Why take time to look at this brief snapshot? Because we often are on the dark and dangerous journey, whether we like it or not, whether we chose it or not. This snapshot of the hobbit's ponies encouraged me to rise above myself and see the bigger picture. Sure, life is difficult now, but Rivendell is at the end of the difficulties. Paul puts it this way in 2 Corinthians: "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 ESV)

If, like me, you are on one of life's rocky stretches, take heart. Rivendell is up ahead. Once we get there, we'll be able to see how the rough stretch was worth it.

There is certainly more that could be said about how to live life well in the middle of difficulty. In addition to looking forward to the benefits at the end, how else should we approach life's rough times? Do we take something away from the benefit of the pain if we focus solely on resolving and healing it?