“Nothing”

“There’s nothing I hate more than nothing.

Nothing keeps me up at night.

I toss and turn over nothing.

Nothing could cause a great big fight.”

-        Nothing by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians

How many times have you asked someone, “What’s going on?” and they say, “Nuthin’”, when you know full well that there is something going on? You have these friends. Life is kicking them in the teeth, but when you ask them what’s up, they say, “Nuthin’,” like everything’s cool. Why do people do that? Is it because, at a deeper level, nothing really is going on?

So many of us live like that – like there’s nothing going on. No larger story that we are a part of. No epic struggle between good and evil, God and the devil… They strive to be like Han Solo declaring, “There’s no mystical energy field that controls my destiny.”

“You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.” – Acts 3:15

Now, I understand, when someone asks how you’re doing, you don’t always have the time or the energy to go into all the challenges you’re facing. And, let’s face it, most people don’t want to hear about them. Also, you have a choice in how you feel about things. So, saying you’re doing great every time someone asks can have a strangely positive effect on how you feel. You may find others are happier to be around you, too.

But, I’m not talking about that. I’m not even really talking about how you respond to the question, “What’s going on?” I’m talking about how you and I live our lives. Do we truly believe that there is a larger story than just what we experience every day? Or, are we the center of the universe? Is life just meaningless? “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die”? I admit, I’m just as guilty as the next guy. I go through a lot of days without much of a thought of destiny or eternity. I need constant reminders, like these:

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” – Deuteronomy 11:18-19

“Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” – Joshua 1:8

So, what’s going on?