Destiny After Brokenness - Term Paper Example

Destiny After Brokenness Introduction It is not unusual for man in his lifetime to find connection to the word “destiny” or to any thoughts or ideas that may emanate from it. Whether he accepts himself as God’s creation or as one who exists by himself, the fact of his possession of a free will, with a power of choice that makes him distinctly superior from the rest of the living beings, pushes him to a deeper longing to know himself better. He therefore does not stop his search for himself, or for a deeper meaning to his life, as Viktor Frankl has so exquisitely elucidated in his famous book Man’s Search for Meaning (Taylor 72). It is the aim of this paper to take a very analytical look at the meaning and implication if this word, for whatever it means, initially at its general context but more particularly later along the perspective of man’s continuing search for significance. This may lead him to “break away” from his own reality; hence, his brokenness. It is hoped that whatever conclusions that may be made by the writer at the end may contribute to the enrichment of the body of knowledge currently proliferating on the subject. The Meaning of Destiny It would be useful for easy understanding to check out what could be the different connotations that have been attached to the word “destiny.” Indeed, there are many, given the depths that this word has assumed. Simmons (1) defines destiny as “that place to which a person is meant to be.” The American Heritage Dictionary is more explicit: “a predetermined course of events considered as something beyond human power and control.” In this sense, it gives an understanding of destiny as something that pertains to an ending that has been preset from the beginning and which cannot be changed by any means. This belief is maintained by the scientific advocates of evolution, or even the atheists who do not believe in a Supreme Being and who support the thesis that everything evolves. Although science has not proven the evolution of man and continues to figure out how the planetary system is kept in suspension, many still doubt the existence of a God (Lasiter). But any discussion of destiny can only be understood in a wider perspective when seen from the point of view of evolution or the origin of things, as aptly put by Lasiter in his online programming discourse on Man’s Ultimate Destiny. Lasiter looks at evolution as the determinant of the end-point of things, which idea presupposes that matter with no ability to make choices would follow the line that destiny is that which has been present from the beginning, whatever it is. This thinking however takes a wider deviation when destiny is analyzed in relation to human beings who have the ability to make choices because of their free will. Lasiter believes that when one looks around at the majesty of all these creations – the earth, the planets, the animals, humanity – it would seem difficult to accept that all these things happened by chance, without the handiwork of a Divine Creator who caused everything to exist in perfect order and balance. Taken in the context of creation, Lasiter posits that in the presence of a God, destiny would be in his hands and that everything then would have been designed for a purpose. And putting the focus more closely on humans who have been created with a free will, destiny could pertain to a predetermined end chosen by his Creator which end man must try to discover and live through to fulfillment (Lasiter). He sees man’s ultimate destiny as not just a matter of living this life and dying but as being part of God’s family. Man has to discover such a grand plan. Three main positions have been developed from this analysis. One, a group that looks at the absolute predetermination of things, whether living or nonliving. For humans, their destiny cannot be changed whatever it may be. Two, a group who believes in a God who made everything but has predetermined man’s ending which cannot be changed howsoever. Three, a group who believes in a God who made everything but who allows man, with all his intellectual faculties which God also provided, to use his power of choice to discover his God’s plan for him. This paper takes the last position, assuming a strong defense of man’s destiny as within his power to change as long as this falls in line with his Creator’s plan for him. The Meaning of Brokenness It is important in the conceptual development of this paper to establish that last position about the meaning of destiny: that man is destined to fulfill the intention of his Creator by virtue of his possession of a free will, with his free will carrying the capacity and the ability to create a meaning for himself as he discerns this intention. It is in fact in the context of the exercise of his free will that man experienced his first “brokenness” when he committed the original sin of disobeying God’s instructions: “And He said to the man, ‘You listened to your wife and ate the fruit which I told you not to eat. Because of what you have done, the ground will be under your curse. You will have to work hard all your life to make it produce enough food for you….You will have to work hard and sweat to make the soil produce anything, until you go back to the soil from which you were formed.’” (Genesis 3: 17-18) What is brokenness? The Free Dictionary defines brokenness as the state of being fractured into small pieces. It can also pertain to a separation of a parent or parents as in children from broken homes or a broken marriage. It could also pertain to some kind of a violation as in broken promise or breaking the rules. It could also mean a state of being incomplete as in broken set of books or broken pair, or of some disarray or disorder as in broken ranks of the military or broken lists. It could also mean a rough or uneven space or place as in broken terrain or broken elevation. It could mean English that is full of errors and that does not follow rules of language. Brokenness could also signify a humiliation or a humiliating state as in broken spirit, or a weakened constitution as in broken health, or a state of guilt as in death or loss of a loved one (Freedictionary). Brokenness has assumed a very wide range of meanings and implications. It has gone beyond its literal reference to breaking into pieces and has been assigned figurative meanings, deriving from the concept of splintering from a whole. From the Christian point of view, it is seen as proceeding or ensuing from a sate of perfection as in the Garden of Eden to a state of sin as in the ground under your curse. Brokenness has thus taken deeper or higher implications to mean a deviation from what is perfect, or what God has destined to be. Destiny After Brokenness Christian faith affirms the teaching that man from the beginning of his creation was in full enjoyment of the favor of his Creator, which was why his experience was whole and perfect in the Garden. It was upon his exercise of his free will that he lost God’s full favor. The original sin was inherited through the generations and was believed to have been extinguished by the sacrifice on the cross by God’s only son Jesus. It was the path created by God to restore man back to his original wholeness by letting Jesus die and live to “redeem the world, preach the gospel to the poor, heal the broken-hearted, preach deliverance to the captives, enable blind persons to see and thus set the destination open leading to the Father.” In so many ways, the Bible speaks of this brokenness to dramatize man’s utter lack in possessions, his poverty, his pains, his struggles, his captivity, his blindness, his dryness, his sickness, his disability, his leprosy, all the parts of his free will that do not speak of his wholeness. It includes his stubbornness, his lack of self confidence, his pride, his vices, his negative attitude, his infidelity, his violence, his inadequacy, his unfaithfulness, his irresponsibility (Greenwood). It is only in the context of the Christian faith that destiny in the form of man’s wholeness can emerge from his brokenness. Would it be reasonable to assume that brokenness is necessary to get back to being whole, as exemplified by Jesus’ suffering leading to his death on the cross to prove that he can live again? Would it be reasonable to assume that the brokenness is part of God’s plan for man to be able to discern God’s plan for man? Of course, that is not to say that brokenness is from God as much as he allowed it, for man is the sinner. If man did not sin, what is there to redeem? God must have known that it is in man’s nothingness that he becomes truly capable of loving, and therefore of uniting with his Creator. Man’s life story, as narrated in the Bible, is a story of his rising from his personal ruins, and always the sequence of events would be suffering followed by glory. It does not surprise anymore that the passion of the Lord Jesus followed the same storyline from persecution to his death then to his resurrection (Greenwood). Is there destiny after brokenness? In the atheist’s world, there is only fate for man, and his fate ends with his death. For Christian believers, there is always hope after a storm. After every storm, there is relative quiet, for it is said and it is believed, that the sun still shines behind the clouds. If brokenness were expressed in the form of problems, even very serious problems such as grief, frustration, failure, rejection, tragedy, sickness and all the dark elements that cover the brightness of day, man should not forget that these screens are only superficial coverings that block the sun’s brilliance. Man should not forget that it is in trying moments that the spirit rises, true generosity and charity begin, kindness enkindles itself, valiancy reigns, selflessness prevails, until all the superficiality is melted down. Man should not forget that it is in nothingness that one is healed, for the example has been set: By his wounds, we are healed. The destiny after brokenness is a wholeness, a union with what the Creator wants, a wholeness expressed in faith, hope and love. It is wholeness with the Lord. Conclusion Christian faith affirms the presence of Jesus in every heart. If Jesus is in every heart, it should not be difficult to create a community among men, but because man is free to think and feel and reason out, the face of Jesus is covered by man’s pride, sophistication, indifference, greed, vice and it is not seen. Peck in the Road Less Traveled observes that it is easier for people who are less sophisticated or less educated or less advanced in knowledge to build communities than the learned ones. Oftentimes, too much learning can be a brokenness in itself. Peck opens with “Life is Difficult” in his book. It is an excellent commentary on the kind of journey all men are taking to reach his destiny. Peck assures, however, that “once we truly know, understand and accept that life is difficult, then it ceases to be, for then the difficulty no longer matters.” What is the destiny after brokenness? If life were easy, it would likewise be easy not to believe in God, as there would not be any brokenness to talk about, and therefore man would settle for his evolutionary end. There would not be any searching for deeper meaning which is usually seeded by the experience of reversals and failures. There is no hoping, for what is there to hope for? Destiny is the final union. It would be wise to see brokenness as a milestone on the road to this final destination. Then as hope springs, so is the discovery that God is patiently and lovingly waiting for our coming. Works Cited: American Heritage Dictionary, freeonlinedictionary: www.thefreedictionary.com/brokenness Greenwood, T., The Truth about Christian Brokenness, www.tgm.org/Brokenness.htm Peck, M., Road Less Traveled, Touchstone: New York Simmons, F., The Man of Destiny, Instant Publisher, 2005 Taylor, T., A Spirituality for Brokenness, Skylight Paths: Vermont Read More