Christian Living

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I have just finished reading a sad yet interesting little book called 'Tuesdays with Morrie'. Mitch Albon tells the true story of a series of weekly visits with a man who had previously been his college professor. But these visits are far from ordinary, as Mitch visited his old friend in the last few weeks of his life, as a degenerative cancer literally consumed his friend slowly to death. For any who have watched and experienced a loved one die from cancer, this story could be a little too close to the bone. But on the other hand the book left me quietly fascinated. 

Morrie reminds his younger and healthier friend about the things that really matter. Relationships are more important than things. People are more precious than achievements. The story is particularly impressive when it comes to the whole idea of self-pity. Morrie recognizes that as a dying man he deserves a few minutes of reflection a day, but then goes about deliberately limiting his daily diet of self pity, as he believes that self pity can be more destructive than cancer. I loved his attitude to getting old, as he tells his friend: we all get a turn at the age we achieve and we should enjoy our chance, be it  20 or 40 or 60 or 80; and we should not live with the ridiculous and futile desire to turn back the years. 

However there are two other things about this book that completely blew me away. Morrie told Mitch that facing death actually helped him to really live. The fact that death was visualized, accepted and understood gave Morrie a new perspective on every day he lived. The much denied reality of death for Morrie actually made every day and hour precious, extraordinary, and in a sense, sacred.

It’s interesting that in the Old Book Jesus also called people to 'die to self' in order to really live. Jesus calls us to a reality and a cause that transcends our material and human pursuits. Jesus died and rose again and in so doing He calls us to die to self and thus to really live. Selfishness is overrated. Wealth, prestige, glory and the size of our car in the end are not the ways we find hope and meaning for our existence.

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. Mark 8: 35

And what was the other thing about the book that surprised me? I am shocked that this little volume has sold 10 million copies. I enjoyed the read but it did not strike me as a book that was that great. But maybe 10 million copies says more about our society than about the story. It might reflect that the death-denying, selfish materialism that most are living, really is hopeless. There must be a better way! 

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