Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Bottomless Pit

Imagine backing up one too many steps, and having the earth beneath your feet dissolve and disappear, replaced by ... nothing ... nothingness ... nowhere to plant your piedi. 

Imagine the falling, falling, falling, the perpetual drop, your weight never hitting solid ground. For how long? When will this end, you ask yourself. How can this be, what is happening to me? 

Now imagine you see glimpses of brilliance, shining signs in the gloomy pit darkness. Are those words, letters spelling out a message, or just images? Are there walls in this dropping tunnel, or do the communiques hang in space as I continue to fall? 

Might I suggest you adjust your eyes in the pit, the tunnel, the hole you find yourself in? May I recommend you pay attention to the notes that dangle conveniently for you, minus obvious fastenings, and that you read and reckon with them too?

There is a bottomless pit described in Revelation, the very last book of The Bible. The last book, dear reader, opens up our imagination in wild ways that we cannot grasp nor comprehend, because we have yet to experience the end of our earthly time. The warnings are great, and even the stoutest of heart, trembles at the thought of what is to come. We are witnessing the signs and wonders of the terminal, as we humans have overstayed our welcome, and become very rude guests in the world God has blessed us with. Sin is accumulating in a grotesque fashion, and it is only a matter of time before that cup of iniquity, the one we have all contributed to, is filled to the brim: it is a wonder God has tolerated us thus far, but alas, he truly is merciful, long suffering, and wants none to be lost in eternity. 

As I see it, self-deception is the single most soul-sucking detrimental habit. The Bible says, The truth shall make you free, but before this, it says, And ye shall know the truth ... the thing with truth is, no matter how you slice and try to dice it, it always reconfigures itself: it cannot be tampered with to accommodate our personal and often twisted, point of view! 

Let us go back to the drop you met with at the top of this page. If you are in a free fall, those notes flashing at you in the darkness, are invitations to reach out and grab hold, to stop your cascading downward. They blink the concepts integrity, honesty, fidelity, loyalty, truthfulness, righteousness, honour, ethics, morals, straightforwardness: All that is good and godly, can be gripped and then embraced tightly, to keep you from the course that pulls you down further into the pit of bottomless despair. 

Am I giving you advice, dear reader? I sure am! I know not all will take my suggestions seriously, and that is their prerogative, but those that do, will feel what I have felt ... solid ground beneath my feet, without fear, worry or doubt, that each step I take is toward heaven, and not the alternative. Make no mistakes, there are only two directions we can travel in this life and the next, and they are backing away from God with a drop just behind us, or walking toward him and the glorious eternity he has in store for us if we are wise enough to heed the warnings, read the signs of the times, and do as he wills, his way. 

I am happy to leave you now with the hope that you walk forward toward the Light of Christ, grasping hold of the wonder and mystery of faith, through Christ our Lord, Amen. 

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