What does it mean to be alive? Mike Breen and his team at 3DM say that scientists have determined there are seven traits which all living things share, and in their LifeShapes curriculum, they use a Heptagon to help us remember what those are. The other thing they use is the acronymn MRS GREN, which combines the initial letters of each trait into a woman's name. Their concern, of course, is not with natural biology, but with applying the principles of the natural life to spiritual life, and give us a way of understanding how "alive" we are in Christ (and what areas of our spiritual life may be in some degree of danger).
1. The first of these traits is MOVEMENT. All living things must move. Obvious examples are predator and prey; the predator must track and eventually capture its prey if it is to eat to stay alive--and the prey must FLEE if IT is to stay alive! Herbivores must move to find food as well, as they will overgraze, ruin their habitat, and starve if they stay in one place. Some animals migrate to avoid extreme temperatures, find foliage, or find a mate. But even on the microscopic level, living creatures move.
The Bible is full of moving stories, some of the most memorable being Abraham sojourning in the land of promise, going to a land God would show him (Genesis 12:1-3). When Abraham's descendants had spent many years in Egypt and were freed by Moses, they moved through the Wilderness, following God's guidance in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Numbers 9:15-23). In the Exile, God sent his people away, but then he called them back to himself, and back to the land of promise (Isaiah 35:8-10). Jesus did extensive traveling, and he sent his disciples out, both during his earthly ministry and at his ascension in what we call "The Great Commission" (Matt. 28:18-20). Other passages use movement in a metaphorical sense, describing our life of faith as a journey or a race, with Christ as the goal (Philippians 3:7-14, Hebrews 12:1-12).
2. RESPIRATION -- all living things need to breathe in some fashion. When we come across something or someone we think might be dead, this is one of the first tests we use to determine if there is still life in the body. When we breathe in, we take in oxygen, which is needed by all of our cells, and when we breathe out, we rid our bodies of carbon dioxide (which is harmful to us, but needed by plants), and we must balance breathing in and breathing out regularly.
In both Hebrew and Greek (the languages of the Bible), "Breath" "Wind" and "Spirit" are possible translations for one word. It was when God breathed into Adam that he became a "living creature" (Gen. 2:4-9), and Ezekiel was told to "Prophesy to the wind" (or breath, or spirit) to come upon the dry bones and make them live again (Ezek. 37:1-14). We need to constantly be taking in the refreshing inspiration of the Spirit of God, which manifested itself as "a mighty rushing wind" on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), and ridding ourselves of "hot air" (or pride). We must also balance rest with work, and work with rest.
3. SENSITIVITY is the third trait shared by all living things. In order to find food, avoid danger, and generally stay alive and healthy, a creature must be sensitive to its environment, seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, an tasting in order to be aware of what is helpful and harmful to life. Spiritually, we must also be sensitive to our surroundings, and to what God is doing in the world around us. When the disciples asked Jesus why most people didn't "get" his parables, he said:
Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.
For this people's heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.
But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
-- Matthew 13:14-16
In the Gospels and in Revelation, Jesus frequently admonishes his audience, saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." The clear implication is that people grow insensitive to God's truth and the Spirit's voice. And not only are we insensitive towards God, we are also often insensitive to the needs of those around us. Jesus had compassion on the crowds, and he expects us to show compassion as well, as in the parable of the Good Samaritan. John reproves anyone who sees his brother in need and "closes his heart" (1 John 3:17--literally "locks up his intestines," the idea being that seeing the suffering of those without adequate food and shelter should be "gut-wrenching"). May God soften our hearts so that we can truly love God and our neighbor as we should!
[to be continued...]
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