Mystic Musings: Lent 3/30
“Just these two words He spoke changed my life, “Enjoy me.”
St. Teresa of Avila, a16th century Catholic mystic
Nearly forty years ago I memorized the 107 answers to the Shorter Catechism of the Westminster Confession, one of the confessions of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The seminary had a scholarship tied to it and after fifty hours of memorization I took the first prize after perfectly writing the answers back. Now forty years later I only remember the very first question and answer, “What is the chief end of man (sic)?” Answer: “Man’s (sic) chief end is to glorify God, and enjoy him forever.”
Photo by Ben White @benwhitephotography
I think the reason I remember only that one question is that it reflects an ongoing internal conflict I have carried most of my life. Those who know me know that I am not frightened by a little work. I have a dogged determination to follow through on projects. My children often tell me, “Dad, lighten up and have a little fun.” I tell them, “I will WORK on that!” If our chief end is to both glorify God and enjoy God I definitely fallen into the “glorify” camp by virtue of my obsessive work ethic.
Interestingly, as I have gotten older, I have discovered a greater yearning for the “enjoying God’ side of that equation. That may be because my body simply can’t push the way I have pushed it in the past. I think it is also because my work was often associated with certain outcomes. When those outcomes didn’t show up the way I expected, I started questioning how hard I wanted to work for something that wasn’t guaranteed.
And maybe it is because I have learned that not every activity needs to be justified by what it produces. We Americans are often conditioned to tie our worth and our identity to how productive we are. But if you watch children, you will discover that things like joy, delight, glee and pleasure are values unto themselves. To simply enjoy something needs no future outcome. The enjoyment is the only point.
“Just these two words He spoke changed my life, “Enjoy me.”
What if that is all God really wants—to be fully and gleefully enjoyed!
Sit quietly. Breathe deeply. Ponder these questions:
Is there a difference between enjoying God and hedonistic pleasure?
Imagine God saying, “Enjoy me.” How does this change your image of God?
What if life is like a Christmas gift from God? How would you plan to enjoy it?