A Flight Too Far

A fjord in Norway, with the Norwegian flag in the foreground. Taken during a day cruise (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

I love record breakers. People pushing the boundaries of human potential. I am currently flying from Bergen, Norway through to London Gatwick after 1 week in this visually dramatic country. Sailing through the fjords I wondered how the first sailors perceived these giant cliffs, calm waters and seemingly endless maze of water valleys. Mankind’s potential to sail every sea, conquer every mountain and establish remote cafes at the top of hills can be inspiring, but like today I sometimes ask myself, ‘why’?

In a film a man is free climbing a mountain and a friend asks why he wants to climb it, he answers ‘Because it’s there.’ Is this the sum of human potential? Achieve because you can, conquer because you can, do everything, fear nothing because you can! I must confess I admire the creative ability and perseverance if mankind, yet many of the feats I have seen and the stories I have heard I still wonder if they worked out ‘why’.

The Norwegian passion for life is well documented and there was nothing they would not try. When missionaries came to Norway they found their love of living it up a barrier to the gospel. Not surprising when in certain histories it is told that Norwegians epitmosied ‘live, drink and be merry!’ The same historian claims that ancient Norwegians after living such a full life would deck themselves with flowers and throw themselves off a cliff – a flight too far? This attitude of living is not so far fetched. Indeed, the heart of a record breaker is reach the unreachable – even today people hurtle over cliffs, albeit with a safety harness!

What is our purpose? To live the best we can and then hurtle ourselves into oblivion, one final flight into an unknown and undiscovered country? So many of the human race live striving for something – but the unknown is what always makes either fight or take flight.

In Athens Paul encountered men who had erected a statue to an ‘unknown god’. He said

“People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.” (Acts 17)

Why worship what we do not know or understand? ‘Because its there’ is not enough. But because I have one who designed me for a purpose, created me for a reason, loved me enough to die for for my sin. This is worth worship. This is worth something.

I can do all things through him who gives me strength. (Romans 8:28)