“We must not provide against the loss of wealth by poverty, or of friends by refusing all acquaintance, or of children by having none, but by morality and reason.”
Is it right to protect against the pain of loss by abstaining from those things which bring us joy? Loss can cause “desperate sorrow,” and intense pain such that we are “almost killed with grief”.
Surely, such emotions should be avoided. In Plutarch’s Life of Solon, the character of Thales believes that to keep oneself from loss one must also keep oneself from joy. He accordingly never married or had children, so as to never loose those he loved most. Yet the human soul is designed and “born to love”. When we deprive ourselves of the natural objects of love, our hearts simply latch onto other things. Thales, though childless, cherished his nephew. Those who cannot drink coffee often harbor a passion for tea. It is the natural state of the soul to love pleasant things, and to be grieved at their loss.
If abstinence from joy cannot protect from loss, what can? Plutarch teaches that the most virtuous way to provide against loss is by “morality and reason”. Aristotle writes of a form of contemplative happiness, a joy so deep and vibrant that it enables the one who holds it to “bear chances of life becomingly and always make the best of circumstances.” Like Plutarch, he holds virtue and wisdom to be the only sure safeguards against abject grief.
The writings of these ancient greeks beautifully reflect the truths of the gospel. Christ exhorts us to have joy in the face of tribulation in the world, and reassures us with descriptions of the abundant peace he gives us. This joy-filled peace comes as a result of a life devoted to obeying the Father, trusting Christ and loving others. It can never be taken away and accompanies us even through great loss and sorrow.
In essence, the joy of Christ is very similar to the contemplative happiness of Aristotle and the morality and reason of Plutarch. A life of virtue, wisdom and sacrificial love does not protect us from loss. Greater than this, it empowers us to enjoy life thoroughly and gives us the tools with which to bear all the trials and sorrow life offers with grace.
So true Jessica.
The difficulty comes in the consistency of bearing the crosses of this road traveled here, and turning to the Giver, and the Bringer of that Good News in the moments when we see losses or adversities before us. To live in shadows hoping to avoid loss only brings another kind of loss, but without the greater joys of living in a fuller brightness of this life so beautifully offered. And ultimately, without the ability to know great loss, what is the point of living . . . we can’t see the beauty and know the joys of our times here? Isn’t that why some prefer to leave us too early, causing even greater losses among us.
Lord, help us to see those in shadows; to pull them toward Your light; to show them Your joy; to bring them along into Your hope . . . that their experiences here give them excitement for each moment and grace when it’s darkest. So be it!