Don't be like St. John Rivers
He is a person, a Christian in Jane Eyre, who imposes his beliefs on others in a way that leaves no room for enjoyment. His life as a Christian looks like this: "He was [a] hard and cold [man]. The humanities and amenities of life had no attraction for him--its peaceful enjoyments no charm. Literally, he lived only to aspire--after what was good and great, certainly: but still he would never rest; nor approve of others resting around him."
This fictional character, St. John Rivers, I feel a deep pity toward. Not anger, not bitterness, not even coldness. I pity him because, while he knows and believes the Good News of Christ, he holds no joy in this world. He is not able to marry a woman because he cannot love her. Duty is his sole purpose and aspiration, which, to his credit, he is passionate about. But he misses out. He denies all things that his flesh desires, and I don't mean flesh in the sense of sinful flesh, I mean flesh in the sense of physical desires/needs/limits. His happiness comes only as a result of what he does. I pity him because he does not understand many things, but above all, he does not understand what the Gospel is about: the love of God who sends his Son to die and redeem his people. His misses the joys of life, a life of freedom we have been given. Why will people want to become Christian if there is no life, no joy, no love--nothing better to offer than what this world has to offer?
posted by Ash at 9:52 PM
2 Comments:
good gracious. what a loser. i feel pity for those people as well. like the people in the da vinci code who flog themselves as punishment. what kind of biblical faith is that? honestly.
the Lord has given us incredible lives as Christians. we are so lucky. we do not lack life, joy, or love--we have it to the full!! christ fully in us embodies life, purest joy, deepest love. that's exciting.
we must be cautious not to fall into self-righteousness in our faith to the point where we focus only on the rules, instead of nurturing the connection we have with god. aye...poor st. john rivers. his faith was anything but biblical. he didnt even allow himself to rest and that is in the ten commandments. there are many christians like that. those are the ones who die bitter and cold without truly knowing the Lord (and therefore not knowing life, joy, or love) or who just go off the wall and start boozing it up and being little partyers and sex addicts. not cool.
Well, the wierd thing is is that he works as a missionary, bringing people to the Lord, but for himself, he never rests. I mean, granted, he is a fictional character, but it's interesting that the Lord uses us to reach others even when we are not in the right place--because His will is greater than ours. I am so thankful for that. But yeah, St. John, he just doesn't seem to LIVE. Though sometimes I myself may be afraid to take risks sometimes, I still want to live, you know?!?
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