A Witness to a Life

For most of us, we desire nothing more than to be noticed. I can think back to when I was a kid at recess and waited, impatiently, to be selected to play on one of the teams. Nobody wanted to be last because, while it meant you got to play, those that had you on their team would rather have been able to choose someone else. Fortunately, I was talented enough and liked enough where I wasn't picked last too often. You can see this same desire played out when a child is asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Usually, the answer is something like an astronaut, firemen, policemen, teacher and even President of the United States. Although, with the way a candidates life is turned inside out before they even get inaugurated, I don't want to be the President. My point is that we all want to be the center of attention or, at the very least, well-liked and respected. That is why we pick those professions that stand out and are admired by the majority of people. All this came to mind when I read a quote attributed to actress Susan Sarandon.

"We need a witness to our lives. There's a billion people on the planet... I mean, what does any one life really mean? But, in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything. The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things... all of it, all of the time, every day. You're saying, "Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go un-witnessed because I will be your witness."

Although, I am not a fan of Susan Sarandon because of her liberal ideology, I can understand why this quote would move many people who read it. It falls right into what I was trying to say about the human need to be noticed and accepted. There is a commercial for the United States Army that asks a question similar to this topic. The question is "If your life were a book, would anybody read it?" Given the heroic deeds of our military and those that have sacrificed for their fellow man and country, many of their lives are "books" worthy of reading, if you will.

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete." 1 John 1: 1-4

It is the pursuit of what Susan Sarandon and the U.S. Army encourage that can lead directly to the opposite of what they want . They are right in that it is a human need to find meaning and purpose to our lives. And usually that comes from the love and respect of those closest to us who feel we have been a positive influence on their lives. A testimony carries greater weight when it comes from someone other than ourselves. However, what the human spirit desires most can not be found in a relationship with another person. What Sarandon brushes over in her quote is exactly why we can't find what we need from another person. The "good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things" are exactly those things that drive people apart. Because it is those times in our lives that reveal to us that we don't have what those we care about ultimately need. And that is unconditional love. As I have said before, if you have two people in need of love, then, by definition, they don't have what the other needs. But, somehow we have convinced ourselves that we can fulfill that desire although we don't possess the love each other requires. Sarandon goes on to talk about how this desire to have a witness to our lives, someone who supports us and testifies about us, can be found in a marriage. She is correct. But, it is not the marriage she is talking about. When we find the right relationship, it is not us who will be testified about, but us testifying about someone else.

" For your Maker is your husband— the LORD Almighty is his name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth." Isaiah 54:5

"I hope you will put up with a little of my foolishness; but you are already doing that. I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him." 2 Corinthians 11: 1-2

Prior to my acceptance of Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I suffered through a tough break up with my girlfriend at the time. From the time I broke up with her until the time I accepted Jesus Christ was about six months. during that time my emotions ran the gamit. I went from wanting my ex-girlfriend back to begging God to get the memory of her out of my mind. What I later realized was that the separation from my girlfriend revealed what my real problem was. The emptiness I felt that I thought would be filled by getting my girlfriend back was actually the hole in my spirit caused by my spiritual death. It had always been there prior to me accepting Christ, but I thought that it could be filled with relationships, friends, family, career and an endless variety of worldly pursuits. All those things amounted to nothing more than putting a band aid on a gun shot wound. I remember, in a desperate attempt to get my girlfriend back, asking her to marry me. She refused. And thank God she did. It led me to discover that the only way to fill that void in my spirit was to come alive to God through a relationship with Jesus Christ. It was at that time that I came across a quote by Christian author, Bob George, that said, "God in the man is indespensable to the life of the man." In other words, God created mankind in order that He could indwell us and be our very life. But, because of sin, God removed His life from us, we died spiritually, and were left to try and replace the life we had lost through relationships with each other and the world. But, in Christ, we have that life restored to us and we become His bride. God is our husband. Because of the great love God has shown towards us, in Christ, we are set free from trying to find the love we so desperately need from people, places and things that cannot provide it to us.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

Now, I am not trying to diminish the role that our loved ones play in our lives. Those closest to us, get indescribeably closer to us when we suffer through the trials and tribulations of life and they remain by our side. But, that, at best, is only a reflection of the love that God has for us. If we look at the passage above we see just what love is. If we are honest we soon realize that we do not exhibit these attributes towards each other at all times and in every circumstance. These attributes are a description of how much God loves us and how faithful He is to us. As Christians, we have these qualities within us because we have the Spirit of God indwelling us. But, we still don't always exhibit these attributes to those around us. That is why when we do express these things towards others and they respond in amazement, testifying to what they perceive is our great love towards them, we can correctly confess that it is not I, but Christ in me, that you just experienced. Therefore, we do not seek to have a witness to our lives, but, as Christians, we are a witness to a Life. That Life being the one of Jesus Christ, who loved me so much that He gave Himself for me, so that raised from the dead He could give His life to me. The life I am a witness to is that of Jesus Christ. We are "married" to Him because He is faithful, promised to never leave us or forsake us and has promised to care about everything in our lives; the good, the bad, the terrible and the mundane. Thank you Jesus!