The Mystery of Life
Why do you find yourself in this place of trial, tribulation, and judgment?
Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints. (Colossians 1:26)
Life is hell on earth. It’s one problem after another. It never seems to let up. Life is full of injustice, greed, and danger at every turn. Nothing seems to be fair or right. Every day is filled with struggles and obstacles. And yet, each day is a new one, filled with hope and new challenges. All around is opportunity and the chance to experience life anew. There are highs and there are lows. And there is that place in-between called the routine, mundanity. Were it not for those fleeting highs, there could be no doubt that this is truly Hell.
In the race for survival, we act and react and do what we must. It seems there is a continual wave of necessity driving us toward our future. Still, we have our choices to make. Do this or do that. Go here or go there. Say this or say that. Always a choice, yet somehow never a choice, at all. There seems to be only one right way to go, at least in retrospect.
Life is good, bad, and indifferent all at the same time. At times we’d just as soon quit. Other times we’re on top of the mountain, invincible. Usually, we’re just maintaining an even keel. Through it all is the uncertainty of our imminent future. Then it comes and becomes the past only to repeat all over again.
Over and over we meet our responsibilities, ward off a new array of problems, and search for diversions from it all. There must be something that can fulfill us and make this life worth living. Well, never fear, there is a seemingly endless selection of worldly diversions, from making money and spending it, from sports and outdoor activities to books, music, and television. Something’s bound to keep our interest and our minds from our struggles. Still, they continue as we race toward the grave.
Do you ever just get sick of it all? I think most of us do. Do you ever really wonder what is this all about, anyway? Sure, we all do. Many of us believe in God, but then what to believe about Him? Others of us are not too sure He even exists. Then there is the rest of us who think we got it all figured out and our salvation is assured. The problem here is, how is one to know with any certainty? Science fails us on this one since it denies anything beyond the physical. Maybe we are just sophisticated animals who evolved from the amebas and crawled up out of the oceans. Maybe there is no God, or maybe God is a cruel tyrant. What a dismal set of beliefs to base one’s future on, still many believe it. Of course, believing that doesn’t change the reality that is. Neither will understanding what‘s really going on, but it sure is a lot more rewarding.
Not only does science fail us, but religion fails us too, with its many inconsistencies, hypocrisies, and doomsday proclamations. Believing in God doesn’t necessarily bring relief from the pain, fear, and anxiety of our lives. It’s hard even for believers to justify the atrocities of this life by their religion. Why does God allow such evil to exist on this earth? Why did all mankind inherit the sins of Adam? Why is this life so hard? Sure, we can stand in faith that by our faith we have been saved, but why does getting saved change so little of the struggles of our life? The church tells us that if we live our lives for God, our troubles will all go away. We can have health, wealth, and spiritual greatness. But these hopes are never fulfilled. Our life continues to be one of struggle and sorrow. Why is this world so messed up? Why are people so messed up? Does God care about us? How can we know what God’s purposes are?
In the coming series of articles, we’ll take a very different look at the journey of our souls upon planet Earth and question God’s purpose for us here. We’re going to concentrate on the reality of our life in the context of its experiential qualities. We are not looking external to ourselves, but internally within us for the truth about us. We’re going to further define just who God is, who we are in relation to Him, and what His purpose is for each of us.
We’ll begin by assuming God has a nature, an identity, and a purpose for man. All these are prerequisites for a hard look at the journey of our soul. We are now ready to turn back the eternal time clock and take a trip through the annals of time to the origins of our eternal journey through the cosmos.
Your soul is the essence of you. It’s that part of you that goes on after your physical body dies. What’s more, it’s that part of you that existed before you came here to sojourn on planet Earth. You see, there is more to you than your earthly memory reveals. You transcend this physical realm. It just so happens you sort of quantum‑leaped into this plane in search of something you need. Of course, the memory of your prior state is suspended for the moment; it was necessary to fulfill God’s purposes.
Already, by discovering your eternal nature, things here on earth don’t look so dismal. After all, no matter what happens, eventually, you’re going to leap on outta here. Hallelujah!
But what about all those religious admonitions about the fiery flames of Hell? Don’t worry about that, you’re already in hell. Right, Earth is where Hell is. Sorry to lay that on you so early in your journey, but, since you’re stuck here, you may as well understand what this temporary stopover is called. Despite theological teachings of hell being a place in the afterlife, hell is where the fires of judgment take place, and that happens on the earth. The lake of fire is the eternal destination of hell and all souls who are damned in the final judgment. The Bible says, “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire”. (Revelation 20:14.)
So why do you find yourself in this place of trial, tribulation, and judgment? Well, the hope is you’ll improve your lot in the universe. Ironically, it’s probably best that you don’t remember your former state. As one of the stars of the cosmos, you were more like a black hole, dark, lonely, and tormented by your isolation. You were without form and void.
Lucky for you, you were not alone in your plight. Billions of the gods of the universe were isolated in their prisons of their own making. There was no cohesion or unity. There was no party amongst the gods.
But off in the distance was this brilliant formation of galaxies all bright and shining, vibrant and alive. They had something that bound them together into a cohesive whole. They were full of life.
That something they share is this greater power we call God. And what turns out to be God, is Love. All who share it are one in unity in the fulness of Love. They are as one essence, one hope, one purpose.
You are not one with God because you are not one with Love. If you were pure in Love, you would be one with God and all who are one in Love. Alas, what better possible thing in the universe can you envision to be the greatest power in the universe? There is no greater power than Love. Love has no equal. It solves all problems. It’s what’s right. Love is the better way. And since Love loves, Love reached out to you and offered itself to you. God indeed loves you. I know that is hard for your ego to take since love is so alien to you. Still, God cannot help but love. So, He offered Love to you so you can be recreated in the fullness of Love. There is one little catch, though. The one thing Love cannot do is change an eternal being at one stroke of its creative power. There are laws of the universe that must be followed.
First, in your quest to find Love, Love must reveal to you what it is about the essence of you that separates you from Love. That part of you is the dark spot or blemish that must go. It’s called your iniquity. It’s the evil that exists in one degree or another and in differing types in all we like souls who journey together here on earth. It’s awful to think of, for it consists of all the unloving qualities that are the opposite of love.
If you can give me some definitions of love, then just think in reverse and you got the iniquity thing down. And some of that junk exists in each of our souls keeping us separate from love. You see, Love works unity, and all else works separation and division. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on who you are, some of us are worse off than others, but none of us here on earth are without blemish. We’re all separated from the cohesive bond of Love . . . and from each other.
All our separated souls needed a place to manifest our flaws so we could see them for what they are and have something to work on. After all, until the light of Love revealed what it was in us that separated us from love, we didn’t know our iniquity was there. That means we needed a set of rules or laws to tell us what’s wrong so we can know what’s right. The only problem with a perfect law is it guarantees we’re always guilty of falling short of perfectness since it defines what we’re going to do that’s wrong.
Maybe you can see the flaws within you and recognize that you fall short of purity and perfectness. But you might ask, why should I have to go to earth to be tried and convicted by the law? Can God change the eternal essence of my soul and cleanse me of my imperfections?
Behold the mystery of life at work as God’s Love beckons you. Love fulfills its purpose for all to dwell in righteousness. Love sacrifices. Love creates and recreates. Love makes a way where there seems none. Love offers a way for you to be recreated and join its ranks. That way involves being yoked to one even more evil than yourself. Love created an evil being and yoked your soul to it. That evil one is the Devil you’ve heard about, and what’s worse, the place of manifesting and judging evil, hell on earth, is where you find yourself. Think of it as boot camp for the rejects of the universe.
The reality of this life is that you’re here in the hope of escaping your former lifeless torment. It’s sort of like getting a root canal. It hurts like hell, but the hope is that in the end, you’ll be rid of the former pain.
Now we have some real perspective for the trials of this life. This place is the domain of the evil one and is inhabited by the unvirtuous gods of the universe. No wonder there’s such chaos here!
Why were we subjected to this place of sorrow and death? Because the glory of Love is greatly to be desired. There is no other thing anywhere worth having.
Lucky for us, God’s Love is also here, and so are some fairly stable souls, and even some angels. That balances things out so they don’t get out of hand. It’s even good to be here at times. Just don’t get lulled into thinking the only reason you’re here is to “live the good life,” have “fun,” and for “Miller time.” Those times are just little reprieves from the dentist drill; it’s when you get to rinse.
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. (Corinthians 4:17–18)
While you’re here, you get a taste of life and love. At times, life is good. Most of the time, life is difficult at best. That’s because this is not life eternal. That is what you came here to get, the life of Love. This life is temporary, temporal. It’s an illusion of the real thing. As long as you see that, you don’t need to take this life too seriously. The only thing you need to take seriously is your quest to find Love. The problem with that is that Love demands responsibility, honesty, and commitment, to name a few of its qualities. While most of us can muster some of that when it serves our selfish purposes, few of us can seem to find love’s qualities as what’s ultimately best for our soul. It’s truly a lifelong struggle.
So we’re here to live. We’re here to live real lives as real people with others in the same rocky boat. Not all of us will choose Love as the better way, despite the grace and mercy offered by Love. But we need to be aware that all our fellow brothers of the cause are striving to overcome. We need each other’s help desperately. Can’t we all just get along?
Each of us has a different calling. Love calls us all to join her, but the requirement for membership is unique to the needs of each journeying soul. Who are we to judge another’s journey? Love brings to each of us exactly what is required for our success, so don’t be so quick to judge another man’s trials. Life is full of trial and tribulation for all of us. No one is spared from the fires of judgment. We like to look at others who are struggling and pity their plight, never realizing that they are growing in love and that our turn is coming. Hard times come in due season to work out what is necessary for each of us as individuals. Whether we will choose what Love brings uniquely to us, is up to each individual through the living of their life on earth. There should be no finger-pointing or lifting up one person, group, or religion above all others. We’re all enduring the trials of this life to purify our souls in the hope of an eternal reward.
But what of the burden others place on you? Realize that they are struggling on an upward path to the light too, no matter how dismal you perceive their state in life. If they stumble and slow your journey, pick them up, walk around them, or gently nudge them aside; just don’t kick them over, someday you might fall and need their compassion.
The reality of this life is your search to find Love for yourself. We all take this journey alone, and yet we find it with others. Love does not exist in a vacuum. Love is found in relationships with people. Ever notice how empty things, places, and events are without others around to share them with? Our relationships with others are what provide us meaning, fulfillment, and understandings about ourselves. How bizarre is this thing called love, especially human love, tainted with the selfishness of man.
If you think about it, what in this life is meaningful and fulfilling besides love? All of us have experienced it at one level or another; the love of our parents, our siblings, our spouses, our friends, our associates, even strangers. Sure, everyone you’ve ever loved has let you down in one way or another, until you’re afraid to give of yourself anymore. Consider though, if you take away all experience of love in your life, what of value is left? Zippo, nothing, naughta. This is the witness to the eternal God of Love. With love you have everything, without love you have nothing. Love is the only meaningful thing to be found. That’s why we all continually strive for love and acceptance. Even the temporary, fleeting love of your fellow man is better than no love at all.
What is reality? Reality is what is real. Love is real. God is real. Your soul is real. Your search to find what God has purposed for you is the reality of your present life. There is not much more than that you can know, or need to know, except how to fulfill the purpose of your soul journey here on earth. That comes by opening your eyes and seeing what is being revealed to you by Love. It comes through the experience of your life. It’s a life you have been given to live. It’s a gift. Live your life so that the end of your lifelong faith may bring salvation from your former state to the glorious liberty of Love.
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. (Peter 1:7,9)
References:
(1) Colossians 1:26
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This article is from the publication ‘Love Reigns Supreme’ on Substack
by Aaron Freeman.