January 15,1998
Dear Br. Fletcher:
I enjoy writing to men, even those whom I don’t know personally. It has been several months since I last corresponded with you, I trust that this beautiful January day finds you and your wife in good health, with a happy, contented heart. I hope the holidays were all that you desired them to be and that you both received and gave blessings to others for, as the old saying goes, tis more blessed to give then to receive. Perhaps the reason old sayings are old is that few people practice them any more. Is it really more blessed to give then to receive? One might legitimately inquire, what is a blessing and how do I know if I’m receiving one? This is an interesting question, I’m glad you raised it, because it gives me an opportunity to answer it.
American is rapidly becoming a selfish, self-centered nation of
egocentric, mean-spirited, money-grabbing, what’s-in-it-for-me
people. Sounds awful, doesn’t, and it is awful. Before the
advent of the welfare state and liberalism, neighbor would help
neighbor, strangers thought nothing of stopping to repair a flat
tire or help a stranded motorist, people volunteered on a regular
basis, and children were taught to appreciate and initiate generous
actions.
While some good remains, America is not yet altogether heathenistic,
one must look long and hard to find these old fashioned virtues.
Busy, busy, busy, we’re all too busy to offer our time, let
someone else do it, or let the government give assistance to the
poor. We may open our wallets or write a check, then lay around
complaining about welfare cheats or medicare frauds, while we
munch potato chips in front of the television growing more corpulent
with each passing day
Is this the way God wants us to live our lives, bereft of the
milk of human kindness, warmhearted generosity? I don’t think
so. Have you ever ventured out on a cold dark night and gazed
with admiration at the millions of twinkling stars spread across
the vault of heaven? I doubt that most people have had this experience
for it is difficult to see the stars when staring into the flickering
television screen.
We discern the stars at night, rather then during the day, for
the simple reason that the contrast, between their faint light,
is more intense the darker the night. For several years, my parents
lived in Manistee, Michigan, a small community along the Western
shore of Lake Michigan. I was attending collage at the time and
would occasionally visit on weekends or an extended holiday. Because
I love the outdoors, and its communion with God, I often walked
along the lake shore late at night during the fall and winter,
the off season in that tourist area.
Standing on the sandy beach or walking along the breakwater, with
the gentle waves lapping at my feet, I was deeply impressed with
the clear dividing line between the lighter sky over Manistee
and the intense darkness over the lake. Twice, I took a car/passenger
ferry from Milkwaukee across the lake to Manistee. Standing on
the deck of the gently swaying boat, with its load of 48 to 60
freight cars in its hold, I again marveled at the intense darkness
where there was no light save that of the stars.
However, the longer I gazed heavenward, the more the sky seemed
alive with suns unnumbered, some bright, some dim, and others
scarcely visible, but each sun, in its own right, shone as brilliantly
or even more brilliantly then our sun. The stars of heaven are
reminiscent of the righteousness of saints. When the world is
filled with a knowledge of the Lord, the sky is ablaze with glory,
but as fewer and fewer people are interested in eternal realities,
the sun gradually sets and the sky becomes as dark as night.
Only at this moment, do the millions of suns become apparent.
It is when darkness enshrouds the earth, that our faint candle
illumines the night, directing the mariner upon his journey. It
is not by coincidence, that the ancient seafarers used the stars
as navigational aids to guide them on their way to port. God placed
these lights in the sky as tokens of His love and mercy to the
wondering captain on the vast ocean or the Beadowin and his solitary
camel on the equally barren sands of the vast deserts.
As the Sun of Righteousness sets in the west, and the firmament
grows dim for His absence, then it is time for His faithful children
to shine for then our lights can guide the hungry and thirsty
soul to the gates of paradise. Christ, in the person of the Holy
Spirit, so hated and despised by the world, has almost departed
the world, leaving us to reflect His glory. Will we shine as the
stars or resemble a black whole which swallows up all the light
in its vicinity and gives nothing back to justify its existence?
We are the recipients of God’s blessings in the sun, rain,
changing seasons, health, and vitality. Will we suck up all these
blessings and return nothing to lighten the way of those about
us. What good is an unlit candle? Of what benefit to anyone is
a flashlight without batteries? Of what good is a life bereft
of the Christian virtues of generosity, kindness, mercy, love,
and compassion? It were better that we did not encumber the ground
then to soak up the sun and rain but yield no harvest. Even the
plants return blessings for blessings. All nature testifies to
the same principal, in being blessed, every plant and animal blesses
another. There is no part of God’s great creation that does
not minister to the happiness of another except the greatest miracle
of His great dominion, man.
We are the only creature upon earth that does not respond to this
universal law of bountiful generosity. Study botany, animal husbandry,
and the other earth sciences, and you will observe this great
law on every hand. The night is dark, let our light so shine that
others may see God through our example. Let our good works testify
that we bless as we are blessed. Let our voice be heard proclaiming
the glory of God.
God has showered you, my dear brother, with everything that would
make your life pleasant and enjoyable. While we may want for ‘things,’
our happiness does not depend on material possessions but upon
who we know and are know by. Are you a star in God’s firmament
shining to His glory or are you a black whole? How would anyone
know? Does your life testify for or against your creator?
May God continue to bless you that He may receive your praise,
and may all about you rejoice in your light. Your brother in Christ.
Allen A. Benson