2023-09-12 A Meditation on Fleeting Pleasures

“16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Ga 5:16–24 ESV)

Some pleasures are fleeting, the faithful mind is not one of them. To have good form and nutrition is to dwell not in a distracted mind but in a faith that turns corners, that gives pleasure of a sustainable sort, minus the hungover or “Is that all?” query.

For to be of a united mind is to marry the instant desire to the better sustenance, the knowledge that indeed this way and not that way, this one and not that one, this calm and resolution of the matter, is licensed and deserving of our at times wild fascination. It is deserving of our investment. It is capable of our attestation, our salute, our heart’s pace, our deeper unification of soul with soul, mind with mind, fleeting pleasures no more a curse or line to toe, but all-on ingratiation of our better angels with our capacities to love, to cherish, to nurture, to invite, to induct, to surround with affection of a spiritual variety. Indeed, this all of us can relate to, as the talking heads debate more sober matters and we, we patiently walk ourselves down and to safe harbor, from the instant need or the heavier instructions into our mind.

So it is a patient walk, a dual lifeline, simply this day to wonder if not all things are found in such secrets of the universe, that we were wise at a certain time to make good confession because, because all things are indeed tainted and subconscious is wrapped up, in untoward possessions, affections, proximities, and so on. It suddenly dawns on us as miraculous, the calm and rested walk we normally abide in. It is a strange reality to have the soldier’s “lifeline” invaded and hackles raised, with belligerence or dis-ease or thwarting distractions or a line never to explore, never for an instant conceding to that ruinous adultery or denying that astonishing power that the spirit has to hold one’s counsel, to be a self-made and composed man or woman, to have all attentions suddenly on high alert, yet all that so that we might say, “Was that all?”; “I so prefer the sane walk to the possessed walk”; “See, it is a normative and healthsome spirit, not a denial of higher concepts, but a normal and healthy spirit that hears and does, that listens and analyzes, that prays and enacts”.

Again, the soldier is recipient of astonishing sympathies, when in a moment a life is on the line or a long buried temptation is raging and banging at the heart’s door. So we wish for healthsome and sustainable pleasures, that merge and that compose and that waltz minus guilt and without the subsequent hatred both of ourselves and of our would-be partner in crime. And some obsess, rightly so we the tempted soul might concede, just with little spiritual bells going off and obsession of matters of the flesh rather than matters of the patient intellect. Indeed, to do so is to have a calling rather duty-bound, yet strange to say, we are in our own strange calling simply to be the wonk and the nerd, no denier of heavier lusts, but not trying directly to captivate them and channel them to a guilt-trip or a tithe or a worship service. We would rather be like those who are forgetful, who instead of analyzing directly do pray for a subliminal concept speech and outlay, confident that all those mysteries are still recorded and played out, that we may the better make confession and be wise as to that astonishing alternate lifestyle called Indulgence, called Adultery, called Infidelity, all these being spiritual concepts surrounding material nonsense and sleight of hand. What we do matters, but our hearts are also bold to Love and to Carry and to give the embrace that delivers all that matters over unto God, unto the Spirit, unto a truth-telling as to that persistent and sustainable affection that so honors the human’s estate.

And then to the races, and to the fellowship and to the nerdy or unsophisticated plain acting, the love for each other no more than that embrace of affection, that holy kiss of New Testament Scripture (2 Co 13:12, etc), that question as to how and in what way Jesus would have done likewise as to what we do, being a pundit of the campfire conversation, a jester at the insistences of the flesh, a jokester and yet this same Lord being our comfort zone and outlet and All Things, not wrapped up in any manner of fleshly indulgence, but in a deeper indulgence that can hold water and better sustain our souls. Souls that know they are loved. Souls unused. Souls innocent yet laughing at the level of temptation all of us face. For in this temptation and alternate lifeline is a miracle and a fellowship called Friend, called Patient Prayer Warrior, called Lover of the soul and Reminder of what heavenly feast one day shall be each of ours.

And what if we did. Society and church may never forget, labelling us as a wandering mist, never satisfied, untrustworthy, obtuse, errant and poisonous. We are poison to the community, they would say. And all this simply because of a matter so basic as a little play and “Gotcha” indulged. So we know of a heavensent forgiveness, even as we would be taking our lumps in mega-fashion. We know Jesus understands and forgives. We know it was only a momentary lapse. We know, yet abide in the church’s embrace and resilience and determination to avoid all the secondary outcomes and fears and progeny. We can walk on new limbs. We can bear down somewhat handicapped but with stretcher or walker as to elevating the right parts of our frame. And then to that thanksgiving for the miracle of cohabitation, of celibacies untold and caution no matter of fussing, simply to attain unto what giftings we have towards a spiritual and non-indulged walk, with those Jesus types with whom we walk, who do not impose, who meet people where they are, and are themselves just as shy and innocent of the deeper sins.