“There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously - no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption.” ~ C.S. Lewis
I sometimes find myself categorizing others…thinking of them in terms of what they do, what they espouse, or how they interact. However, Lewis reminded me this week to think of all people more in terms of who they are.
Every person you meet today, from your children and spouse, to the man at the gas pump next to you, to the person at the grocery store, is an immortal soul. They will never die, in the truest sense.
America will die. Eventually. Rome did.
The Republican and Democratic parties will die. Maybe sooner, rather than later.
All that is American culture will die. Food, movies, music...all passing away forever.
Philosophies will pass away.
But those you meet today will never pass away. They are immortal, and will live forever, either as beings of resplendent glory, enjoying everlasting life in the presence of God, or as beings of perpetual death, receiving the appropriate penalty from the hand of the same God.
The difference between these two outcomes is simple—are their sins paid for by Jesus Christ, once and for all, at the cross? Does the man next to you at the fuel pump know Christ as his Savior? Does your child know and understand the depth of his sin, and his need for the cross.
We must remember these things, especially in the midst of all the turmoil around us. Your political enemy is a soul—a soul who will live forever in suffering or joy. The politics will pass away, but they will remain forever! Let’s set aside what is passing away for the sake of that which is eternal.
